


Mine to Take

by Eclair_Designs



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Genre: Angst, Attempted Sexual Assault, Brainwashing, Clan Denial, F/M, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, Ramen, Stalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-04-04 17:31:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 110,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14025174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eclair_Designs/pseuds/Eclair_Designs
Summary: Yuna Katayama is new to Konoha and a formidable kunoichi from her village. After an intense battle between the Seventh Hokage’s son and another shinobi, the village was left in shambles. Yuna’s father, Masaru, a retired shinobi and a master carpenter made the decision to move his family to Konohagakure in order to help rebuild the village.Ataru, Yuna’s adoptive brother and beloved friend, has great care and concern for her happiness and well-being, that is, until she meets a Chūnin by the name of Boruto Uzumaki and will do anything and everything that he can to be with her and make her his. Will Boruto be able to protect Yuna, someone who’s precious to him when he himself couldn't protect the village against Kawaki’s destruction?





	1. CHAPTER 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first Boruto story! I was so excited to write this. And I actually had four prologues written and two different ways this story could have come out. BUT, I chose the one I’ve been going back to more. Note, this is gonna take place after the whole Kawaki destruction. There is not much known about Boruto’s eye and the story behind the whole Kawaki ordeal, so I’m just gonna roll with it. I’m really not sure on the rating, but I think as the story progresses there will be a few lemons and rating will go up. Just letting you know. :P Please drop a review, let me know what you think. Give me that motivation! Thanks and enjoy.

CHAPTER SUMMARY

Yuna Katayama is new to Konoha and a formidable kunoichi from her village. After an intense battle between the Seventh Hokage's son and another shinobi, the village was left in shambles. Yuna's father, Masaru, a retired shinobi and a master carpenter made the decision to move his family to Konohagakure in order to help rebuild the village.

Ataru, Yuna's adoptive brother and beloved friend, has great care and concern for her happiness and well-being, that is, until she meets a Chūnin by the name of Boruto Uzumaki and will do anything and everything that he can to be with her and make her his. Will Boruto be able to protect Yuna, someone who's precious to him when he himself couldn't protect the village against Kawaki's destruction?

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

My first Boruto story! I was so excited to write this. And I actually had four prologues written and two different ways this story could have come out. BUT, I chose the one I've been going back to more. Note, this is gonna take place after the whole Kawaki destruction. There is not much known about Boruto's eye and the story behind the whole Kawaki ordeal, so I'm just gonna roll with it. I'm really not sure on the rating, but I think as the story progresses there will be a few lemons and rating will go up. Just letting you know. :P Please drop a review, let me know what you think. Give me that motivation! Thanks and enjoy.

CHAPTER ONE

"Tadaima," Six-year-old Yuna called out the traditional greeting as she closed the front door and kicked off her shoes.

"Okaeri, Yuna." Her mother's voice rang out from the kitchen, and then she appeared in the entryway, drying off her hands with a dish towel. "Where's Ataru and your father?"

"Pappa's taking him to register at the academy today."

Yuna saw her mother's smile fade, and realized it was probably from the look on her own face. Her mother stood up and came to her.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? Why the long face?"

The young girl shook her head, sending black bangs into downcast eyes.

"Baby, talk to me, I can't help you if you don't. Now, what's wrong?"

Yuna hesitantly lifted teal eyes to meet hers.

"Momma, why does everyone in pappa's clan hate me? Did I do something wrong?" she said softly, voice wavering.

The question caught Nariko by surprise. Her mouth dropped as she gasped.

It all started a years before the Fourth Great Shinobi War, back when Nariko herself was a young girl. For decades, the Katayama clan and the Hoga clan had greatly despised one another.

The Katayama clan was considered a powerful clan. Their fame and prowess stretched far and wide, leading others to both praise and covet their abilities due to their Kekkei Genkai; Flare Release which allowed them to combine fire and wind chakra natures to utilize explosive chakra.

The Hoga's were reputed as a strong and wealthy clan for they too also possessed a Kekkei Genkai; Carbon Release, which allowed them to manipulate the carbon in the earth as well as forming diamonds. Unfortunately, the clan's leader was a greedy man and produced these beautiful gems to surrounding villages until supply exceeded demand, leaving the village broke.

The Katayama clan noticed this, and out of concern that their village would be next to be hit with financial loss, assembled several shinobi from outside villages and clans to eliminate the Hoga Clan. However, one managed to survive, a young girl named Nariko, a wielder of the kekkei genkai.

Years later, during the Fourth Great Shinobi War, members of the White Zetsu Army infiltrated the Alliance's ranks, posing as Allied Shinobi. While Masaru was trying to fend off several Zetsu, they began to get the upper hand but were quickly dealt with thanks to Nariko releasing her carbon spikes.

That evening, while they rested, Nariko tended to Masaru's wounds.

"You're a Hoga…"

"I am," she said quietly, as she began to wrap a fresh bandage around his bicep. "You're Masaru of the Katayama clan."

A moment of suffocating silence passed between them.

"Why?" he finally asked, his voice just above a whisper. "You could have easily let them kill me, but you didn't?"

What happened next took Masaru by surprise.

As she secured the end of the bandage by folding it over and tying a knot in the end, she tilted her head and smiled saying, "Because we're comrades, aren't we?"

Masaru's eyes widen. Even still, she accepted him despite what had happened between their clans.

After the Fourth Shinobi World War ended, Masaru left the Land of Bellows to wander the world, where he came across the young Hoga woman once again. Both her beauty and her feisty spirit had captivated him, and he finally found the courage to ask her out a month later. Unable to say no to his down-to-earth attitude and irresistible charm, she accepted and they had been inseparable ever since.

The first year they were together, he had seen a white gold bracelet with diamond accents in a store window. He didn't have the money at the time, but vowed he would buy it for her someday. That day came on her nineteenth birthday, after they were promoted to Jounin. The following year, he gave her the only thing he had yet to give; a promise of forever and a simple, but still gorgeous engagement ring.

They had been happily married for a year when Nariko became pregnant with Yuna. They were both overjoyed; Marsaru, if it was possible, was even more ecstatic than his wife, and from the moment he laid eyes on Yuna in the hospital, he was in love.

However, things took a turn for the worse when Yuna turned five. While training with her cousin, she was pushed back into a corner and unintentionally released a new kekkei genkai, creating several large carbon spikes around her. The clan leader, Masaru's father, Taizo, was angered that his oldest son hid the fact that the woman he impregnated was a Hoga.

After long deliberation, Taizo decided to leave things as they were in fear that war would be brought down upon them from the Sand Village if they were to eliminate the young Hoga and her mother. So he decided to see how things played out. If the child or her mother became a threat, then it would be handled accordingly.

Nariko blinked back her tears and bit down on her trembling lip as she got down on her knees in front of Yuna and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her close. "Oh, Yuna." she said, "You didn't do anything wrong, darling."

"Then if I didn't do anything, then why? Is there something wrong with me?"

"No baby, there is nothing wrong with you." She smiled, taking her small hand in her own and squeezing it in a display of affection. "You are beautiful, you are well-loved, and you are exactly the way you are supposed to be."

"Your mother's right," the familiar voice had both of their heads turning.

Nariko stood slowly, wiping away the remnants of her tears with her hand. "Dear…"

Yuna's father placed a warm hand on top of her head, his lips curving into a soft smile. "Different is special. You're beautiful Yuna. Inside and out." He said. "Always remember that you can be whoever you want to be."

Yuna shared his smile. "Really?"

"Really," he replied, and her smile widens. "No matter what happens, never give up on your dreams."


	2. CHAPTER TWO

**CHAPTER TWO**

  
_Sixteen years later..._

“So whaddya think?” The sixteen year old Kunoichi grinned at the man across the counter as she watched the crown of his head move from left to right, examining the diamond.

She had seen some shady places in her life but this one took the cake. She glanced over her shoulder at the two men standing by the door. One had a crop of short, dull, black hair and dark eyes, and donning a simple blue suit. The other had short, spiky light-brown hair and dark eyes with a cross shaped scar on his right cheek.

The man across the counter set the loupe down and looked across at the young woman. “I'll give you 74000 yen for it.”

Was this guy for real?

She slapped her hands down on the counter. “You’re kidding, right? That’s half the going rate!”

“Take it or leave it, kid.”

She huffed and took the small diamond from the man's hands and turned to leave, but stopped when he called her back.

“Fine, I’ll double it.”

A smirk formed on her lips and she turned around to face him. He scowled at her but chose not to say anything. Instead, he turned and headed to the back of the building. A moment later he return with a small stack of bills and placed it down in front of her.

Yuna’s smile widened. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, old man.”

As she turned to leave, the other two men in the room blocked the exit.

She let out a heavy sigh. “Oh, come on,” she said as she stuffed the wad of bills into her back pouch. “Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

The two men lurched toward her.

“Guess it’s the hard way.” She said, and got into a fighting stance.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna exited the pawn shop and dusted off her hands while the three men inside who attempted to attack her lay crumpled on the floor.

She pulled the wad of bills out from her pouch and snickered evilly as she counted each and every bill in her hand.

“You know, dad’s gonna be angry if he finds out you’re pawning off another one of your diamonds,” the familiar voice said behind her.

Yuna gasped in surprise and whirled to find Ataru, her older adoptive brother approaching. He was taller than her and had short spiky brown hair and light brown eyes with slightly tanned skin.

She pursed her lips at him. How was he so stealthy? She hadn't even sensed him getting close.

She’d known Ataru for a long time, and her family had taken him in as one of their own when he had no place to call home. They were beyond close and whenever she needed someone to talk to or lean on, she knew she could always count on him.

Yuna placed her hands together and with a large smile said, “Please don’t tell dad. He’ll ground me for life.”

“It’s forbidden, Yuna,” he muttered disapprovingly.

“I know,” she replied in a small voice, not wanting the reminder.

After a moment, Ataru sighed and shook his head at her, amused but exasperated, too. “Fine, just don’t do it again, okay?”

“I promise.”

“We should get moving,” he said and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “Mom and dad are waiting for us.”

She nodded and she followed him back to the main road.

“By the way,” she said, “did you have any luck?”

“Actually, yes,” he replied and reached into his bag and pulled out a book: Icha Icha Paradise. “I had to look at three different places to find the one you were wanting. Did you know you have to be eighteen to get this?”

“I did,” she grinned. “Which is why I sent you on that important mission. Now, gimme, gimme.”   
She squealed with delight and took the book from his hand and held it up toward the sky. “Finally!”

When she saw her parents waiting at the main road, she broke into a run. Judging by the expression on her mother's face, she was not at all happy.

Nariko Katayama was a beautiful, charming woman with long, flowing black hair and teal colored eyes. But despite her indisputable beauty, she could be extremely frightening when upset.

“Sorry we’re late,” she smiled nervously.

Apparently Nariko wasn't in the mood for small talk. She stopped inches from the young kunoichi with her hands on her hips.

"You know better than to up and leave by yourself, especially without telling anyone!” she said, her voice almost a shout, making Yuna wince. “I was worried sick about you!"

Yuna rolled her eyes. “Don't be such a worry wart. I’m not some child who needs-”

Her sentence was cut short when her father smacked her upside the head. “Ow!” She cried, and wheeled her head towards her father. “What was that-”

Yuna stopped herself before she could say anything more and swallowed hard. Her father could be equally as frightening as her mother.

Her father was a tall, lean-built, light-skinned man, with short shoulder length black hair that hung over both sides of his face to roughly frame his cheeks, and brown eyes. He was a man with strong morals and ethics and believed people should be honest and upfront about their feelings, like him. What she loved about him the most was that he was a kind hearted man who was willing to help people in need and was always there for the people he cared about.

“Don’t disrespect your mother, Yuna. You made her worry. Now, apologize.”

Yuna turned her attention back to her mother. “I’m sorry, momma,” she said sincerely. “I'm sorry I acted on my own like that. Next time I'll make sure to bring Ataru with me."

Nariko’s anger seemed to diffuse and she sighed wearily.

“Well, at least you’re okay. That’s all that matters.”

“We should get going,” her father said. “I want to arrive at the Leaf Village before sundown.”

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna let out a shaky gasp as her eyes scanned the village critically. Much of the village including the Hokage Rock and the city behind it had been destroyed.

“How horrible,” Nariko whispered.

“I heard the village was in terrible shape, but I never thought it would be to this extent.” Ataru said.

“Looks like we have our work cut out for us.” Masaru said. “But it can be accomplished if everyone works together.”

As Yuna stood there frozen like a statue, she caught a movement from the corner of her eye. A colorful ball rolled to her feet. She picked it up as the young boy made his way toward her.

“I take it this belongs to you?” Yuna asked with a smile.

The young boy nodded his head silently a small blush forming on his cheeks as he took the ball from her hands.

“T-thank you.”

She placed a hand on top of his head and ruffled his hair. “Don’t mention it.” She said, and his blush deepened.

Yuna watched as the boy scurried off and smiled to herself. She loved kids. She liked being around them, talking to them and playing games with them. And when she would begin to teach them the Water Surface Walking Practice, she enjoyed seeing their smiling faces and the excitement in their eyes.

Suddenly a loud voice behind them shouted, “Who are you four?”

They turned to see a young man in his twenties, with short, black spiky hair and blue eyes. He wore the standard Konohagakure flak jacket, along with a black long sleeved shirt paired with matching pants and sandals.

Her father straightened and stepped toward the cautious shinobi.

“I’m Masaru from the Hidden Sand Village and this is my family,” he said. “I was hired by Konoha to rebuild the village.”

Gradually his shoulders relaxed and the tension left his face. “Yes, the Hokage has been expecting you all,” he said and motioned to follow him. “Please, follow me.”

The sounds of construction echoed all around them. Other nail guns popped in the distance, hammers drove against wood, and voices bellowed for supplies over the racket. The villagers were working hard to recover from the effects of the tragedy that had taken place.

“Please pardon our run-in earlier,” he said. “We’re still a little on edge.”

“There weren’t any guards from the Leaf around and finding the village in such a state we were shocked and wondered what had happened.”

“It was the work of an organization by the name of Kara.”

“Kara?” Yuna scoffed, interlacing her fingers behind her head as she walked. "What a lame name for an organization. They could've at least put some more thought into it. You know, something that strikes fear into the hearts of men.”

The male shinobi turned his attention to her. “Be that as it may, they were still formidable foes.”

“I can see that,” Yuna replied.

“I assume the Hokage has dealt with this Kara organization?”

“Actually,” the man said, “It was his son, Boruto.”

“Eh?” She gazed at him, her eyes widening. “He must be really strong if he managed to single handedly take down a whole organization.”

“He is the Hokage’s son after all.” The pride is obvious in his voice.

Yuna turned her gaze to the remnants of the obliterated Hokage Rock. “Boruto…”

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

The Seventh Hokage sat back against his chair wearily. The past few months had been nothing but pure and utter hell, and running with little to no sleep wasn’t helping his case.

The village was going under a lengthy rebuilding process after Kawaki's attack and much of Konoha’s population had suffered greatly, giving him no choice but to request outside help.

He'd known Kawaki for a few years, and he never would've thought that he'd be capable of doing something like this.

And Boruto, the village hero. He held nothing but pride for his son, but also sadness. Boruto and Kawaki were like brothers. And when Boruto couldn’t pull him back from the darkness, he had no other choice but to take him out.

Naruto let out a heavy sigh. There was no point in dwelling in the past now. It was time to focus on the task at hand: rebuilding the village.

Just then a sharp knock on the door broke him out of his thoughts and he instantly snapped to attention, turning to face the source of the sound.

“Come in.”

“The door swung inward to reveal Shikamaru, sporting his short goatee.

“Forgive the intrusion Lord Hokage,” he said with a slight bow. “But the carpenter you’d requested and his family have arrived.”

“Thank you, Shikamaru. Send them in.”

“Yes, Lord Hokage.” Shikamaru turned and left the room. He reentered shortly after with two males and two females. All bowed in respect as Shikamaru took a standing position next to him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Hokage. I greatly appreciate you taking my family and myself into your village despite the recent events that occurred here.”

“Thank you,” Naruto said. “And the pleasure is all mine.”

The first thing Yuna noticed about the Hokage was his chakra. It felt warm and bright. And for some odd reason, he made her feel comfortable. He was a couple inches taller than her father, with blond, short spiky hair, blue eyes and three whisker markings on his cheeks.

She had read about him in her old village, heard stories about him from the Kazekage. He was the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox and had proved to be one of the main factors in winning the Fourth Shinobi World War.

“Yuna!”

Her father’s voice broke through her daydream and brought her back to reality in a hurry.

“What? Oh, sorry! What did you say?” she asked sheepishly as she realized they had been talking to her.

The Hokage shook his head and laughed.

“Come on space case, you do that on a mission and you could end up dead.”

Yuna’s face split in a toothy grin much more characteristic of his younger self and he smiled.

“No need to worry, Lord Hokage. I’m perfectly capable of holding my own.”

“Don’t act so smug, Yuna.” Her father chastised. “The Hokage was about to issue you and Ataru’s new headbands.”

Yuna’s gaze landed on the forehead protector, baring the leaf symbol, laying on the Hokage’s desk. This was it, her first day as a leaf ninja. Her new start at a village.

“The two of you are officially shinobi of this village now. You two will protect and help this village maintain the Will of Fire.” The Hokage held out the headbands.

“The Will of Fire?” Ataru asked, not understanding. He took hold of the headband and looked down at it. Yuna did the same and waited for the Hokage to answer his question. She too was trying to understand, but it seemed he wanted them to figure it out for themselves.

After a moment, Yuna looked at the Hokage. “I think I understand,” she said. “We have a similar philosophy at our old village. The entire village is like a large family unit and every Konoha shinobi with the Will of Fire loves, believes, cherishes, and fights to protect the village.”

The Hokage nodded. “This is what gives Konohagakure shinobi the strength to continue fighting against all odds, building willpower and strength of character. It is also symbolic of the hopes and dreams of the previous generation being passed to the next.”

Yuna nodded and removed her old headband and replaced it with the Leaf’s. “I understand. I will protect this village and its people. You have my word.”

“Same here,” Ataru said.

“Since the both of you were a team in your previous village, I’ll keep things as is,” he said. “I’m currently in the process of assigning the last member to your team so bear with me. In the meantime, Ataru you will be assigned to the medical team along with Nariko.”

They nodded their heads in affirmation.

The Hokage turned his attention to Nariko. “I’m sorry to have to pull you out of retirement, Nariko. At the moment, the village is in dire need of medical-nin.”

A smile graced Nariko’s lips. “No need to apologize, Lord Hokage. I fully understand the situation. That’s what we’re here for.”

The Hokage shared her smile and nodded.

Yuna pointed to herself. “And me?” Her eyes were bright with excitement.

“I have a mission for you already in mind. I want you to be on standby until I call you.”

She gave him a sharp, one-handed salute. “Ou!”

“Now that we got that out of the way, I’ll have one of the teams here escort you all to your destinations.” The Hokage said and turned toward the door. “You three can come in now.”

Just then the door opened and three shinobi walked in. They all appeared to be around her age. Her eyes landed to the boy who bore a great resemblance to the Hokage. This must be his son.

He had spiky, blond hair, blue eyes with a large scar across his right eye, and two whisker markings on each of his cheeks. He wore a black cloak over a tracksuit that had red stripes around the hems of his jacket and pants with a brown leather belt with a black sheath for his sword and brown shinobi boots.

The girl beside him wore a sleeveless, buttoned dull red dress bound by a yellow tie and a white belt with black fingerless glove on her right hand, a black arm warmer on her left arm and a pair of black ankle-length, open-toed high-heeled sandals. She had onyx eyes covered by a pair of red glasses and shoulder-length hair that was parted to the right, and tucked behind her ear.

And lastly, the boy beside her with tousled white-blue hair, thin eyebrows, with golden eyes, and a pale complexion. His attire consisted of a loose-fitting two-toned light and dark blue kimono shirt with billowing, overlong sleeves, tied by a thick khaki-grey Ono-stylised belt, and a pair of navy pants. In addition to his outfit, he wore black long fingerless gloves and black calf-length shinobi sandals.

“I’d like you all to meet Team 7. Sarada, Mitsuki, and my son, Boruto.” The Hokage said. “The Katayama’s are the newest addition to our village so please make them feel welcome.”

Yuna took a big step toward Boruto. “Yo! I’m Yuna,” she said, offering a hand for him to shake. “No wonder the sky is grey today, all the blue is in your eyes.”

Her mother placed a hand on her forehead and shook her head, embarrassed by her daughter’s flirtatiousness. “Oh, Yuna.”

Ataru rolled his eyes.

Boruto’s cheeks burned with a faint but noticeable blush and he leaned back away from her in surprise. Clear, bright-teal, enthusiastic eyes met his. They were the most extraordinary color—guileless, powder-teal—and for one awful moment, he thought she could see right through him. He felt…exposed. The thought was unnerving.

Sarada turned her head slightly and giggled before nudging him playfully in the side. “I guess there’s still hope for you and that ugly mug of yours, neh, Boruto?”

Boruto frowned and rolled his eyes.

“Please excuse my daughter's behavior,” Masaru apologized, “She can be rather eccentric and unpredictable at times.”

Sarada laughed and shook Yuna’s hand. “I’m Sarada. If you ever need anything just let me know and I’ll be happy to help.”

“Thank you,” she replied.

“My name is Mitsuki. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

Sarada pointed her thumb over at Boruto and said, “Don’t mind, Boruto. He’s been a little grumpy lately.”

“Oi, Sarada!” Boruto growled.

“Anyway,” The Hokage said from his seat. “Mitsuki, if you could please escort Masaru to the construction area. Sarada, you’re to take Nariko and Ataru to the medical team. And Boruto, if you can please show Yuna where they will be staying.”

Team Seven nodded.

“Well then,” he said, glad this meeting was finally over. “You are dismissed.”

She was about to follow Boruto out the door when the Hokage called her back.

“Yuna, a moment of you time, please.”

“Is something the matter?”

“Not at all,” he reassured. “I just want to discuss a few things with you that were brought to my attention.”

“Okay…”

“The Kazekage has informed me of the tension between your father’s clan and that of you and your mother being the last remaining survivors of the Hoga Clan.”

He folded his large hands and set them on the desk, evenly meeting the gaze of her teal eyes.

“I want to assure you that you and your mother are safe in this village. If by chance the Katayama clan should attempt anything I’ll handle it accordingly.”

Yuna nodded slowly.

“I’m also aware of the two Kekkei Genkai’s you possess.”

Boruto wheeled his attention to the girl beside him. This girl possessed two Kekkei Genkais?

“The same rule applies as it did in Sunagakure,” the Hokage continued. “If others got wind of your ability it could pose a potential threat to you.”

Yuna nodded again. “Yes, Hokage-Sama.”

The Hokage stood from his seat and moved towards her before placing a hand on her head. “As tempting as it may seem to use that ability, you need to refrain from using it.” He said. “I just don’t want to see one my village children get hurt, okay?”

Yuna promised that she wouldn’t and thanked the Hokage as she was dismissed. She and Boruto walked down the hall, down the stairs, and out the door.

“Your dad seems nice,” she smiled, walking quickly to fall into step with Boruto.

He said nothing, just gazed up ahead.

She interlaced her hands behind her back and leaned forward with a grin. “Must be cool having a father who’s respected by the entire village.”

Again, he said nothing.

“You don’t say much, do you?”

“When I have nothing to say, I don’t say anything.” Boruto answered simply, keeping his gaze focused ahead of him.

She inwardly sighed. He really disliked her for some reason, Yuna thought morosely. Everything she said seemed to irritate him. She was used to being disliked by her father’s clan, but at a new village? The knowledge was disheartening.

Open and cheerful, she was eager to please and desperate to be liked. She was the kind of person who could get along with anyone, but she had a fear of being disliked, even by people she disliked.

The hatefulness she received from her father’s side, while hellish at the time, proved to be her crucible, forcing her to develop the formula she needed for future success. She learned that flaming ambition combined with grinding hard work and enduring stamina would reap rich rewards.

She’d kept a diary since she was just a small child and she’d remembered writing, ‘I wonder if I'll ever be able to earn their respect. She was always frustrated with herself, thinking she wasn’t doing enough. She just had to achieve.

But with Boruto, they seemed like oil and water; incompatible personalities. He was so cold, so unfeeling, complete opposite of his father, and it made her nervous. Even so, Yuna could see something was troubling him. His jaw was tight, his lips pressed to a thin line. She didn’t even know him yet, but she already hated seeing him like this.

“We’re here,” his voice interrupted her thoughts and she lifted her gaze to his. “This is where you’ll be staying.”

It was a cute two-story wooden house surrounded by trees and a small river not far from the house. The landscape could use some work, but it certainly had potential not to mention is was a place to call home.

Boruto reached into his pocket and handed her a single key. With that, he turned to go but stopped when she spoke.

“Um, Boruto,” she said quietly. “I know we don’t know each other very well right now, but if you ever want to talk—need to talk—I'm here.”

He turned and narrowed his eyes at her. “Why does everyone feel the need to make me talk?” he asked, frustrated.

“It’s just...I can tell something is bothering you. I’m sure others have noticed as well. Talking could help.”

“Me or them? I'm sick and tired of everyone and their pity.”

“I’m sure no one is pitying you. They're just concerned.”

“I'm really not in the mood for this.” he said and made the hand seals for a teleportation jutsu.

As he disappeared in a puff of smoke, Yuna pulled down her right lower eyelid and stuck out the tongue, saying "Beh-da!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. CHAPTER THREE

A/N: Sorry it took me a while to get this out, but it’s a suuuuuper long chapter. Thanks to those who favorite/followed Mine to Take, as well as to those who reviewed. Much appreciated. Please keep it coming. Give me that motivation to continue. 

 

CHAPTER THREE

Boruto was awake long before the sun rose. He had been awakened by nightmare of him impaling Kawaki with his sword. He tried to go back to sleep but his mind was too full of thoughts of his former comrade, so he lay awake until his room was flooded with the blue gray light of morning. He was exhausted, but could not sleep, instead passing the time staring at the ceiling and hoping sleep would claim him.

If he let his eyes go out of focus, the bumps and ridges in the textured ceiling melded to form shapes and objects. It was a game he sometimes played when he couldn't sleep, and he would let his imagination take over as tiny patches of light and shadow became animals and people and whatever else he could dream up. However, the game only served to torture him more, because all he could see was Kawaki. Even when Boruto shut his eyes tight, the visions remained. He was burned on the back of his eyelids.

Rather than stay in bed and slowly drive himself mad, Boruto sat up and peeled back the covers. He tried to muster enthusiasm to greet the day, but only succeeded in kicking the covers off the bed, getting on his feet, and staggering toward the bathroom in a gait that would have put the undead to shame. He made it to the bathroom and tried to avoid looking at himself in the mirror, knowing his haggard, bed-headed reflection would only depress him more. He cranked on the water in the shower, wanting to wash away the shittiest morning on recent record. 

He stripped off his clothes and slowly clambered into the shower, anxious to be under the cleansing stream of water. It cascaded over him, and he held up his face into the welcoming torrent. 

Suddenly, foul memories of that day began to fly into his mind, haunting his brain, torturing his soul. 

Blood splurted from Kawaki’s mouth. With a look of surprise, he glanced down at Boruto’s blade that was pierced through his chest; its point pierced through his back before looking back into his eyes.

“B-Boruto…”

Boruto clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth as he felt the warmth of Kawaki’s blood spread over his hands. 

He grabbed the washcloth from the shower rack in front of him before beginning to scrub his arms a little more vigorously than usual, dragging the cloth over his hands repeatedly as if he was trying to scrub away the memory of Kawaki’s blood.

Why? Why did you have to make me do this!?”

That tactic obviously was not working because once again, the black haired man entered his thoughts. 

“If you'd have just listened to me....”

Tossing the wet rag over the towel rack to dry, Boruto pressed his head against the hard tiles of the shower, trying to calm his heavy breathing. 

“none of this would have happened!”

He squeezed his eyes tight.

“You allowed Jigen to twist your mind, until now... until now you've become the very thing you swore destroy!” 

He clenched his teeth. 

“You were my brother, Kawaki!” 

He punched the tiles on the bathroom wall repeatedly, the spray of the shower making him angrier instead of calming him down. He hit till his fists were bloody and the effort had taken the fight out of him. He then slowly washed and cleaned his wounds. It wasn’t too bad, a little bandaging and he’d soon be fine. Just some broken skin. He’d be bruised and a little sore later, but nothing more serious. 

He toweled off and returned to the bedroom. 

He dressed quickly and brusquely towel-dried his hair. He tried desperately to bring it under control, but as usual, it refused to cooperate, and his only option was to slide on his headband. 

Boruto headed downstairs where he found his mother standing over the stove making breakfast. His little sister, Himawari, was beside her-she’s still in her pink flannel pajamas decorated with cute little rabbits. She bounded up to him and hugged him hard.

“Ohayo, Oni-chan!” 

He placed his hand on top of her head and gave her a half hearted smile that didn’t reach his blue eyes. “Ohayo, Hima.” 

“Boruto, would you like some breakfast?” His mother asked. 

“No thanks, mom. I’m not hungry.” 

Without another word, Boruto left the room, closing the door quietly behind him, leaving Hinata and Himawari glancing at each other worriedly. 

 

~MINE TO TAKE~

Yuna ran her fingers through her hair in frustration before slamming her hands down onto the table. “Seriously, what’s his problem?” 

A steaming bowl of oatmeal was set in front of her as her mother took a seat next to her. Although the meal was simple, it smelled delicious but she supposed all food looked better on an empty stomach. 

“Who, darling?” Nariko said as she lifted a spoonful of oatmeal to her lips and blew on it gently. 

“That idiot, Boruto!” Yuna placed her head down onto the table and pursed her lips in a childish pout, “I was just trying to be a friend.” 

Ataru smiled at her childishness. It was one of the many things that made her so special to him. She became his addiction the moment he met her. She was his best friend. He loved her fiercely long before he really understood what love was. They were inseparable, and when she would smile at him and her teal eyes sparkled, it made him breathless.

But Yuna was off-limits, a temptation that cursed his existence with this visceral hunger to have her, possess her, and taste her like she was made for him. He was tormented and on the brink of falling. If he stepped over that boundary, if he gave into his want, he wasn’t sure he could survive the disappointment of his adopted parents. They would all be affected. Their lives wouldn’t be the way it was. That change was irreversible, and the damage would be permanent. It was a scary thought, destroying a foundation and rebuilding it without knowing what it might end up looking like. 

But his want for her…it sat in the core of him, growing and growing. And want was a dangerous fucking thing. It clouded your judgment, it made you weak, and he knew…he knew without a doubt, it was only a matter of time before he cracked.

Obsession was devotion. Obsession was mania and need. It was a compulsive urge to self-gratify by wanting, and wanting, and wanting ‘til it hurt, ‘til you could feel it there in your bones, gnawing its way deeper within you. Obsession was his craze for Yuna. She was his impulse. His…pulse itself. It wasn’t healthy. He knew that. But he didn’t fucking care either.

Nariko’s voice breaks through his reverie. 

“Don't let it get you down, sweetheart. I hear he’s going through a rough time. And if so, he's probably going to say some ugly things. Just give him some time. He’ll come around.” 

Yuna leaned back in her chair and groaned. “Ugh, such typical ‘mom’ answer.” 

Nariko tapped her finger to her chin as if thinking about that. “Hmm, was it? I thought it sounded pretty good.” 

Ataru pointed to himself with his thumb and said, “Don’t worry, Yuna, you still have me.” 

"You’re my brother, you have to say that." Yuna said, jabbing her spoon at Ataru’s face. 

“Well, here’s a question for you. Why waste your time with someone who treats you just the same as the Katayama clan?” 

“Ataru!” 

“Well, it’s true.” he said to Nariko with a shrug. “You’ve seen how they treat her, he’s no different.” 

Yuna knew Ataru had a point. It was no different on how her father’s clan treated her. But there was something about the heavy pain in his blue eyes that made her want to reach out to him, to offer him the kind of light that she used to giving anyone she met. 

“This is different,” she said, setting down her spoon and meeting his gaze evenly. “Boruto isn’t like that.” 

“You don’t even know him!” Ataru cried, throwing his hands up in exasperation. 

“You’re right, I don’t.”

“Then why?!”

She paused. “Because something in my gut is telling me to help him; that deep down inside he truly has a kind heart.” She fisted her hands on the table. “It might take me awhile, but I swear I’ll find it.” 

“Doubtful,” Ataru muttered before lifting his spoon to take another bite of his oatmeal. 

Yuna looked over her shoulder at the wall clock and realized she was going to be late for her first mission from the Hokage if she didn’t get a move on. She leaned forward and crammed a few spoonfuls of oatmeal into her mouth and stood quickly. 

“Thanks for the food, mom.” Yuna said through a mouth full of oatmeal.

“Is that all you’re going to eat?” 

“Can’t be late on my first assignment,” she replied, then turned her attention back to Ataru. “Are we still on for some training this afternoon?” 

“Of course,” he said. “Meet me at the hospital after your mission. We can grab lunch and head to the training field after.” 

Yuna nodded and moved toward the door, lifting a hand in farewell. “Ja.” 

~MINE TO TAKE~

When the Hokage told her he had a mission already in mind for her, she hadn’t expected this! The mission called for a Genin or Chūnin to accompany and assist an elderly villager with her shopping and odd jobs. She simply thought this mission would go far better with a Genin, but she supposed it couldn’t be helped if she was the only one. 

She spent the better part of the morning doing a list of odd jobs. She replaced the loose doorknob in the bathroom, carried a heavy box of books downstairs and placed them on the wall shelf, weeded the garden, watered the plants and folded laundry. Afterwards, the two set out for the village to pick up their weekly rations. 

Yuna winced as she watched the old woman walk in front of her. Hobble was a better description, she said to herself. 

As if reading Yuna's thoughts, the old woman moaned, “My arthritis is really acting up today. A change in the weather must be right around the corner.”

Yuna peered over the several grocery bags in her arms and said with a smile, “I hope you’re right.” 

Fall was her favorite time of the year. The golds and reds of the turning leaves were beautiful to look at, though there was a poignancy about the season. It was short-lived and the end of it brought the cold and winter storms. 

As they walked up to the front of the house, a young shinobi in his twenties came out the front door. Gorgeous. The man was drop dead gorgeous. He had short, spiky brown hair— two locks of which were wrapped in bandages framing either side of his face. He wore the Konoha flak jacket with a dark blue shirt under it and a red armband on his left arm that has his clan's emblem on. 

“Here, let me help you.” He took the bags from her hands, and then turned to the elderly woman with a hard expression. “Obaasan, I told you I would help you after work. You didn’t have to hire someone to do it for you.” 

“You’ve been busy with rebuilding the village, Hiroki. And when you come home at night you’re exhausted. I didn’t want to burden you with this old woman’s requests.” 

His eyes soften. “Obaasan…” He turned his attention back to Yuna. “As you can see my grandmother can be quite stubborn. I’m sorry if she caused you any trouble.” 

Yuna shook her head vehemently, waving her hands widely in front of her. “No, she was no trouble at all. I’m glad I could be of some help.” 

He bowed slightly. “Thank you for your help-” he hesitated, realizing he didn't know the woman's name. “Ettoo…”

“Yuna. Yuna Katayama.”

“Beautiful name for a beautiful girl,” he said, his voice soft, and for some inexplicable reason she found herself blushing.

The elderly woman stepped forward. “Here, have some candy.” She pulled out a piece of candy wrapped in gold foil. 

Yuna smiled and took the candy from her hand. “Thank you, Granny.” 

Wishing the duo good luck and waving a farewell, Yuna made her way toward the Leaf Village Hospital where she saw Ataru waiting for her. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” she said.

“No worries, I just finished up anyway.” He said. “How was your mission?” 

“D-Rank,” she replied with a sigh. “But it was...nice. A little change of pace to what we’re normally assigned. Though I hope the Hokage will start assigning flashier missions to us soon.” 

“I couldn't agree more.” 

The main street was bustling as mid afternoon shoppers examined goods for sale. The savory smells of fresh baked pastries and street vendor's wares filled the air. Konoha was very different than what she was use to; she was excited about the challenge and the change.

“So, what’s for lunch?” 

She jumped on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I don’t know. What are you buying me?” 

Ataru chuckled. “Woman, what are you doing?” He locked his arms under her knees so she could ride piggyback.

“Going for a ride.” 

“Oh, so you’re using me?” he asked, somehow managing to keep his breath from catching as her breasts pressed against his shoulders, feeling her body heat even through the jacket he wore.

“More or less,” Yuna said, her breath tickling his ear. 

Ataru smiled to himself. “I think I can deal with that.” 

Yuna’s eyes scanned around. She came across a small burger shop called Thunder Burgers. “Oh, burgers!” 

He lifted a brow. “Really?” 

One of the few things Ataru absolutely detested in life was fried and oily foods. The smell, grease, everything about them made him feel ill. He’d eat food pill over this crap any day. 

Yuna pushed off of him, leaving him missing the feel of her soft flesh and heat but that was quickly fixed when she took his hand in her own.

“Please?” 

He knew he wouldn't have been able to say no to those pleading eyes and let out a sigh in defeat. 

“Alright.” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Yay!” 

She tightened her grip and dragged him into the burger shop. Thankfully they had beat most of the lunch crowd, so the shop wasn't packed.

“What can I get for you?” a female attendant behind the counter asked. Yuna scanned the day's menu displayed on the wall above. 

“Um, I’ll take a green chili hamburger with french fries and a soda.” 

Ataru held up two fingers. “Make that two.”

When Ataru finished paying the cashier, they stepped aside to wait for their name to be called. While doing do, a shrill female cry distracted them.

"There she is! Hey! Hey new girl!"

Yuna's eyes immediately snapped towards the source of the voice and saw a dark-skinned girl with amber-coloured eyes leap up from her seat across the room and make her way toward her. 

She had brown hair that was styled in two spiky ponytails, kept back with a pink hair-band. The rest of her hair is left hanging down behind her back, with her bangs hanging over her left eye and donning a sleeveless white kimono with a net t-shirt under it, a pair of black arm warmers, and a pair of black long shinobi boots. 

“Your name is Yuna, right?” she said her loud, cheerful voice. 

“Yes,” Yuna nodded. 

“I’m Chōchō.” 

“Nice to meet you Chōchō,” Yuna said, then guestured over to Ataru who was standing beside her. “This is my brother, Ataru.” 

“Oh!” She gasped and placed her hands to her cheeks, dramatically. “So handsome!” 

Chōchō was completely oblivious to Ataru's awkwardness as she chatted him up, and Yuna couldn’t help but giggle. 

Her gaze drifted to the dark haired boy sitting at a booth. She recognized that black spiky hair anywhere. 

“Shika-kun!” Yuna cried and wrapped her arms around Shikadai’s neck, almost strangling the boy in her excitement.

Shikadai blushed and craned his neck toward her. “Y-Yuna!” 

The young Nara tried not to appear affected by the fact that the side of Yuna’s ample breasts were pressing against him. 

“The one and only,” she grinned, then turned her head to Boruto sitting across from him doodling and stuck out her tongue. 

“Dad told me you and your family was transferring here,” Shikadai said. 

“You know this girl, Shikadai?” The blue-green eyed shinobi asked from beside him. 

“Sorry, I should’ve introduced myself sooner. I just got a little excited to see a familiar face.” Yuna said, offering him a hand to shake. “I’m Yuna Katayama.”

“Inojin,” he said.

“Actually, Yuna and I go way back-since kids.” 

Shikadai scooted over to make room for her. “That’s right,” she said as she took a seat beside him. “His mother was the one who actually trained me in my wind style techniques. And speaking of your mother, how is she doing?” 

He shrugged and let out a heavy sigh. “Blunt and strict as always. It’s such a drag.” 

At this, Yuna couldn’t help but giggle as she imagined her teacher using her giant folding fan as punishment for upsetting her. 

“She just has high hopes for you. After all, you are the heir to the Nara clan.” 

He leaned forward and cupped his chin in his left hand, muttering under his breath about the clan and the responsibilities that came along with it and how troublesome all of it was.

Ataru came with their tray with Chōchō clinging to his arm, smiling and chatting away while he shifted his focus uncomfortably between the tray in his hands and her. 

“Sorry,” Sarada apologized to Ataru from the table beside them and pulled her off, “Chōchō can be a little flirtatious.” 

“Something we have in common. Yeah!” 

Yuna and Chōchō both gave each other a thumbs up earning them a couple of soft laughs from around the table.

Ataru placed the tray down onto the table and glanced over to Boruto who was still doodling. “Wow. You really suck at drawing.” 

Boruto frowned and crumpled the paper, tossing it onto the table. 

“That wasn’t very nice, Ataru.” Yuna rebuked, as she reached over for the crumpled piece of paper and smoothed it out, earning a surprised gasp from Boruto. 

Despite the poor execution and lack of natural talent the crumpled drawing before her was without a doubt a hamburger….or a flying saucer. 

“I love it. You mind if I keep it?” She smiled sweetly. 

Boruto glanced out the window and mumbled something unintelligible. What was so great about a stupid doodle? Why did she want to keep it? To mock him? And out of the corner of his eye, he could see Yuna with a great wide smile on her face. 

While eating, she was introduced to more people her age that had joined their table. They all were very nice to her and asked her lots of questions about herself. Yuna wasn't used to getting so much attention from so many people. It seemed like they all wanted to talk to her at once.

“So Yuna,” Denki piped up. “You said you’re a carbon style user?”

“Uh-huh.” 

“What exactly does your kekkei genkai do?” 

“Oh, you know, this and that,” she said with a wave of her hand. But as Ataru picked up their tray and carried it over to the disposal bins, Yuna smirked mischievously. “I think it's better if I just show you.” 

With a grin, she stood and made a few hand signs and said, “Prepare to be amazed.” 

Boruto shifted his attention to Yuna, curious to see what this girl was capable of. 

Suddenly, a hand shot and grabbed her wrist. “Don't even think of it,” Ataru said, his tone low.

“I wasn’t going to do anything.” Yuna said with a nervous laugh, trying to play it off. “Sorry, Denki. Maybe some other time, okay?” 

“We should get going,” Ataru said. “If we leave now we can actually squeeze in a few hours of sparring before heading home.” 

“Oh, we were going to spar as well.” Sarada chimed in. “We can all go together.” 

Everyone murmured and nodded in agreement that this was a wonderful idea.

Ataru leaned forward and whispered in Yuna’s ear, “I thought it was just going to be the two of us?” 

Boruto glanced quickly at Ataru. He sure seems possessive of her, he thought. 

“It’ll be fun.” Yuna replied. “It gives us the chance to test out our abilities on different people instead of it just being the two us. Besides, you always wipe the floor with me.” 

Ataru straightened, a frown marring his brow. 

“Count me out,” Boruto said. “I'm going home.” 

“Come on, Boruto, don’t be like that. You just got here.” Shikadai said, hoping to get his friend to stay. Since Kawaki’s death, Boruto hadn’t been the same and it worried him. He seemed distant now. No longer the loud and energetic Boruto he used to know. The only way he got him to tag along with him today was because he offered to pay for his meal. 

As he edged out of the booth and turned to leave, Yuna said, “Frightened of a little competition?”

A Cheshire cat grin spreaded over her face as her words brought him to a halt. 

“Frightened of a little girl like you?” Boruto scoffed.

“A wager, Boruto-kun.” 

“You’re that confident?” He smirked, amused and incredulous at once. “What would you like to wager?” 

“If I win, you’ll take me out on a date.” 

He gazed at her as if he couldn’t quite comprehend what she’d said. “And if I win?” he asked after several shell-shocked beats. 

“Then it’s your choice.” 

His mouth twisted as he contemplated his answer. “Okay, deal.” He smirked. “If I win you’ll have to buy me burgers from here for a month.” 

“Deal.” 

~MINE TO TAKE~

“Come on, Boruto. Lighten up. She's really a nice girl.”

“We don't even know anything about Tweedledee over there.” 

“Of course we do. We know she’s nice, honest, and has a great sense of humor. Not to mention she possesses two kekkei genkai’s and three chakra natures.” Shikadai said. “She may seem carefree most of time but don’t let that fool you, Yuna’s actually a formidable kunoichi from the sand village.”

“And Tweedledum beside her?”

“I honestly don't know much about Ataru at all. Other than the fact that he's pretty adept in ninjutsu as well as taijutsu.” Shikadai said, “He also tends to stick close to Yuna a lot. Though it could just be because of the conflict between her parents clans.” 

“So I heard.” 

“From what my old man told me, her mother’s clan leader was a greedy old coot and used his kekkei genkai for selfish purposes, supplying diamonds to surrounding villages and nations until they wound up broke. Apparently, the Katayama clan caught onto this and were afraid they would end up in the same situation so…” 

“They had them eliminated.” Boruto finished. 

Shikadai nodded and said, “And the irony of the whole thing is that her mother wound up marrying into the very clan that slaughtered hers. To keep it hidden for so long; I can’t even imagine what the Katayama clan thought when they found out.” 

Before Boruto could speak, Yuna’s perky voice interrupted them. 

“Don't you know it's rude to keep a lady waiting?” 

"Yeah, yeah." Boruto muttered before sinking into a fighting stance. Yuna tugged small black gloves onto her hands before mirroring him in a similar position.

“Hold it!” Shikadai called. “Before the spar you have to make the symbol of ‘combat’. It’s the proper protocol.” 

“Symbol of combat?” Yuna said in confusion. 

Boruto whirled around to face Shikadai. “Who cares about that?” 

“Just be quiet and listen.” He said and turned his focus to Yuna. “These Shinobi spars are a tradition that's been passed down for generations.”

“First, you always face your opponent and point your fingers like this,” Shikadai lifted his right hand and made a seal that looked like half-tiger/ram. “This is the seal of ‘combat’, it represents one half of a seal that might be used to activate a ninjutsu technique, and means, “I've come to face you in battle”.

“When the spar is over,” he continued, “both participants make the Seal of Reconciliation by locking the fingers they used to make the "confrontation" seal, acknowledging that they are still comrades. This is all part of the proper etiquette for a shinobi spar.” 

Smirking, Yuna punched her fist into her hand and said, “Well, if that’s the way it’s supposed to be, then I have no complaints.”

Boruto sighed heavily and turned back to face Yuna. The two placed their hand out in front of them and made the seal of combat. 

“Alright,” Shikadai lifted his arm into the air as the two got into fighting stance. “Begin!” He brought his arm down quickly. 

For a breathless minute there was utter stillness as one fighter sized up the other. Even the wind seemed to still for a moment. Yuna finally blinked and when her eyes opened again Boruto had disappeared leaving a puff of smoke in his wake.

The kunoichi let her eyes slide to the right and the left, determining that her opponent was on neither side of her. She glanced over her shoulder and looked to the sky. Nothing. Was he really going to be so predictable? It was almost as if he was mocking her. Well if that's the way he wanted to play, fine.

Turning with a smile, she made a few quick hand signs and slammed her hands down onto the ground, sending chunks of dirt and rock flying as the earthen floor fragmented like broken glass.

Yuna expected to find Boruto hidden among the shattered earth but to her surprise there was no one there.

Suddenly a hand clamped around her leg and pulled her down sharply; trapping her in the rubble she had just created. She found herself up to her neck in earth, staring at the blond whiskered teen as he stood smirking above her.

"You thought you had me all figured out did you?" he chuckled as she struggled to free herself from the ground. "You underestimate me, Yuna.” 

"I think I could say the same thing about you." The black haired kunoichi smiled before a puff of smoke encircled her, leaving behind a log where her body used to be.

“Oooooh!” Metal said dramatically, rising to his feet and pumped an enthusiastic fist into the air. “Sugoi, Yuna-san!” He was suddenly conscious that his comrades were staring at him, laughing, and he quickly sat down, his face red from embarrassment. 

"Clever." Boruto muttered, instantly alert searching the training grounds for her chakra signature. “Guess you’re not as ignorant as I thought.” 

~MINE TO TAKE~

Three hours later after much sweating, cursing and scheming, Boruto had finally subdued the vivacious kunoichi, forcing her to her knees while standing behind her, keeping her arms pinned tightly behind her back with one hand and holding a kunai to her throat with the other.

"I believe this constitutes a win in my favor." Boruto chucked in her ear, the razor edge of the kunai barely grazing her flesh.

Yuna sighed wearily. "And I was so sure I had you.”

The whiskered teen released her and tucked his weapon back in its holster, immediately turning to leave.

“Oi, Boruto!” Shikadai called behind him. Aren’t you forgetting something?” 

Boruto sighed heavily, fighting down his annoyance by sheer willpower. When he turned back to Yuna, she was already waiting with her hand extended. Boruto lifted his hand and the two locked fingers. 

Yuna reached into her back pouch and pulled out a wallet. “Here,” she said as she handed him a few bills. “That should cover about a month’s worth I think.” 

“Actually, that’ll only cover two weeks.” Boruto said simply. 

“Eeeeehhhh?” 

Shikadai laughed. “Boruto practically lives off Thunder Burger. He’s eats there almost every day.” 

Pursing her lips, she looked into her wallet, a small tear forming at the corner of her eye as she retrieved two more bills. 

“This is ridiculous,” Ataru said. “Yuna, you don’t have to give him your money.” 

Shaking her head, she offered him a small, reassuring smile. 

“A bet’s a bet. I’m a woman of my word.”

A frown flits across Ataru’s face as he watched Yuna hand her money over to the triumphant Boruto. Sure, it was dirty money she received from that pawn broker, but still, he didn’t have to be a dick. 

Boruto retreated a few steps to the shade of a large tree and sat down, his back leaning against its trunk. All too soon he heard her footsteps trampling through the grass and a moment later her shadow fell across his face.

“What do you want?” 

“To keep you company.” Yuna replied nonchalantly, immediately withdrawing her new book from her back pouch and sitting on the ground beside him. He gave her a quick glance out of the corner of his eye before shutting his eyes for another fake nap.

As she turned the page, she said, "You really need to learn to loosen up or that pole you have shoved up your ass is going to fuse with your spine."

“And you need to learn to be serious, or no one will ever take you seriously as a shinobi.” 

She wanted to scream at him. Throw things. Punch him in the face and kick him in the balls. But none of it would do her any good. Instead, Yuna she let out a soft, pained laugh. 

Suddenly, Ataru appeared beside her. “Are you ready?”

Yuna glanced at the sky and made note of the sun's position to check the time. “Yeah or mom will have a fit if we’re late for dinner.” The Kunoichi closed her book with a snap and stood, replacing the novel in its pouch. “Thanks for the great match, Boruto-kun.” 

As she turned on her heel and jogged away to say bye to the others, Ataru gazed down at Boruto and frowned.

“You've got something you want to say to me?”

Ataru’s hands fisted tightly at his sides. Oh, how he wanted to punch this pissant into next week.

“I don’t know what your problem is or what you’re going through, nor do I care, but stop taking it out on her.” Ataru said. “Yuna is one of the most caring and gentle people you’ll ever meet and only desires your friendship. She might brush off your brusque remarks with a smile or a laugh, but deep down you’re hurting her.”

He paused, waiting for Boruto to say something, but he stayed silent. Shaking his head, he turned to leave. 

~MINE TO TAKE~

Even when the others had left to go home, Boruto still found himself unable to relax. 

He tried to clear Yuna’s voice from his head but for some reason, her words kept repeating. 

You really need to learn to loosen up or that pole you have shoved up your ass is going to fuse with your spine.

When did he get so angry? Why was he so serious all the time? What happened to the fun he used to have? Did his fight with Kawaki change him that much? Yet he couldn't clear his head of Yuna's words that irritated and scratched at his brain like a splinter.

Growling in annoyance, he pushed the visage of the teal clothed woman from his mind, telling himself that he never previously cared what people thought of him and starting now would be silly, especially if someone like Yuna was the root of his insecurities.

Yes, the logic made sense in his head, but as he started towards home, he couldn't help but wonder why it was still bothering him…


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Alright! Another installment of Mine to Take. Thanks to all those who favorite/followed/reviewed. It means a lot. So please, keep it coming. Give me that motivation to strive forward.**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

She loved showers—one of life's little hedonistic pleasures. They could soothe aches and pains and wash away tension from tired muscles. They could refresh, rejuvenate, and allow a moment of peace where all the troubles in the world didn't matter and were forgotten. However, all those troubles came rushing back the second Yuna cranked off the hot water.

Boruto Uzumaki. The Leaf Village Hero and the son of the Seventh Hokage. He's antagonizing, difficult, complicated, and confusing. And yet, he's still such a mystery.

After drying off, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel. She wiped off the steam on the mirror with the palm of her hand and began to take her hair down and brush out any tangles accumulated throughout the day.

Despite the extra trouble it presented, Yuna loved having her hair long. It made her feel feminine and attractive as opposed to the short cut she had sported for years as a Genin.

Yuna was prepared to walk out of the bathroom and put on some clothes when there was a knock at her window. Although it wasn't too late in the morning, Yuna wasn't expecting anyone. Tightening her wet towel, she made her way across the small room.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Shitfucksonofabitchgoddammit…

Of all the rotten luck…he just HAD to have a mission with HER of all people. He let out a heavy sigh and wondered what the hell he had done to deserve this. He was sure whatever gods resided up there were probably laughing hard enough to split a seam right now. Perhaps it was a sign he needed to patch things up. The window abruptly swung open jolting him from his thoughts, revealing a shower dampened and half naked Yuna dressed only in towel.

Boruto had not expected to be confronted with Yuna's covered torso, and he found his eyes roaming her flesh without his permission, taking in the shapely leg from her mid-thigh all the way down to painted teal toenails.

"Um…hi." The blond said awkwardly, dragging his gaze from her foot to her face.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" She crossed her arms over her bosom, sitting into her right hip and unintentionally presenting her straitened left leg, the bare skin interrupted only by the towel that covered her. "Don't tell me, you came to your senses after your victorious win yesterday and realized that maybe you should have lost and taken me out on that date instead?"

Boruto rolled his eyes before saying, "Not even in your wildest dreams."

She pouted a moment, looking much more girlish with such a childish expression on her face before teal eyes widen.

"A mission?"

He nodded.

"All right!" Yuna cried enthusiastically as she punched her fist into the air.

Suddenly, the towel that was supposed to be tightened securely around her fell to the ground, leaving her gloriously naked before the eyes of her mission partner.

"Eh?" She blinked rapidly at him, eyes widening as realization dawned on her.

Boruto's jaw dropped as all resistance finally left him. Her body was an absolute masterpiece and he let his eyes take in every inch as she revealed it. Her sex was crowned with a small patch of black hair only slightly darker than the hair on her head. Her stomach was flat and firm and the faint outline of her abdominals could be seen in the pale morning light. Her breasts were lush and pert and round and he could hardly take his eye off of them as they bounced free.

Yuna followed his gaze and found where it rested. He seemed almost entranced, captivated in a way that was very un-Boruto like, and her own face immediately turned as red as a tomato.

"Are…are you staring at my chest?!"

Her screech brought him crashing back to reality and he instantly realized his mistake. It was too late however to avoid the chakra enhanced hand that was hurtling towards his face.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

_Ow!_

Boruto winced and cupped his cheek that stung with what was sure to be an angry red handprint.  _It wasn't my fault the towel dropped. Not only that, I get slapped for it! This is the worst day of my life..._

He let his eyes dart sideways to the black-haired kunoichi standing beside him, smiling sweetly even after she just assaulted him.  _Look at her. Acting like she's so innocent…_

"So anyway, here are the details of the mission." Suika's voice brought him back to the present.

The pink haired woman leaned forward from her seat behind the mission assignment desk and handed Yuna a scroll.

Boruto watched as Yuna opened the scroll, teal eyes skimming it critically and noticed that her shoulders had dropped visibly.  _Yup. Another lame mission._

"Eh?!"

Suika sat back against her chair wearily. First Boruto, then Shikadai, and now Yuna. It seemed the whole world was in opposition to these types of missions. But Boruto never complained. He had been surprisingly quiet while she distributed their new assignment, compared to his usual stubborn self.

"A supply run? Don't you have something more exciting?" Yuna waved her hands around for emphasis.

"No."

"Aww, but Suika-chan…" she began, her whining voice friction on Suika's already frayed nerves.

Suika's brow creased in irritation.

"Are you refusing the mission?"

"No, but—"

"Then stop complaining. This is the mission the Hokage himself has specifically assigned to you. That is not up for negotiation."

The whiskered teen could see fire flashing in her eyes' tawny depths and knew they had better not press their luck.

He grabbed Yuna by the arm and began to drag her firmly towards the door.

"Let's go," he said gruffly. "The sooner we leave the sooner we can get this over with."

"Aw, but Boruto-kun, this mission is lame, can't—"

Yuna's whining continued as she was dragged down the hall and Suika slumped heavily in her chair and rubbed her temples wearily before saying, "These kids are going to be the death of me."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

After they passed through the giant green gates of the Leaf Village, they had continued to run full tilt through the dense forests of Fire Country for five hours until Yuna's calves and quads burned and her feet were sore.

When Boruto had finally called for a break, the sun had already passed overhead and Yuna guessed it to be about one or two in the afternoon. She had been more than ready to rest her shaking muscles and get some food into her system and figured Boruto was hungry as well.

As they ate, Yuna's hand strayed to the pocket of her back pouch to retrieve her most prized possession, flipping the orange jacketed book open to where he had left off and was soon engrossed in another world.

Boruto damn near dropped his food when he saw her withdrawing a book from her back pouch; not just any book, but  _Icha Icha Paradise_. He recalled his old man telling him stories about the Pervy Sage and that the "research" from his peeping, he had managed to write a whole series of those adult novels.

"You know," Boruto said as he fished a canteen out of his pack. "People are going to think you're a pervert if you don't put down those books."

The diamond kunoichi huffed in annoyance as she crossed her arms, her prized book dangling from her fingers and said, "Guess some people can't appreciate good literature."

Boruto only looked at her incredulously. "Good Literature? You're reading smut." He scoffed.

Yuna sighed in exasperation, trying to keep the vein on her forehead from throbbing angrily. What was with this guy? How could be so damn infuriating?

"And the plots are so unrealistic." The blond continued. "The main character always ends up with a girl in his bed no matter what. You think that if these women were experienced ninjas, they would see him for what he really was, a pig and a womanizer."

Her reading spoiled for the day, the kunoichi closed her book with a snap and stood, replacing the novel in its pouch and grabbed her pack.

"You know, for someone so disgusted by these books, you seem to know an awful lot about them."

"Where are you going?" he asked as she adjusted her pack on her back.

"Isn't it obvious? Away from you." She said, pointing a finger at him in anger. "You...you killjoy!"

_Killjoy?_

Without another word, the dark-haired kunoichi turned on her heel and stormed away, leaving to a very perplexed male in her wake.

"You're not supposed to go off on your own during a mission," he called after her, causing Yuna to stop in her tracks.

"What did you just say?" She growled irritably, the vein in her forehead beginning to pulse as she grew more and more aggravated with the teen in front of her. "I don't take orders from you!"

He was just about to open his mouth to say that she should act more like a shinobi and that going off on your own would put them at risk when something else caught his attention and he stilled entirely. When Yuna began to speak, he held up a hand to silence her and she instantly understood that something was wrong.

"Someone is coming," he said in a soft voice. "And they're close."

Boruto concentrated on the chakra signatures he felt approaching and was able to discern that there were two of them and that, although they were close, he had a harder time pinpointing their location that he should have. The strangers were moving the same direction they were and would catch up soon if they didn't get moving.

"I think they're low level shinobi," he whispered to Yuna, as he hitched his pack onto his shoulder. "They're masking their chakra although not completely and I can't tell exactly how close they are but we should get out of here. I can't guarantee that they will be friendly."

Yuna nodded in understanding, argument completely forgotten as she could feel them as well.

"Should we get off the road?"

"No. Chances are they have already sensed us," Boruto said as they continued down the path at a quicker pace. "Doing something like that would be suspicious. Just keep alert."

They walked as fast as they could without making it look like they were running from something.

"They're closing in," Yuna hissed, her body tensing in preparation for the imminent confrontation.

"I know," Boruto growled back. "Just stay calm."

Just then, they felt one of the two presences break apart and begin to loop around in front of them, moving through the tall grass that grew alongside the road and if Yuna looked carefully, she thought she could see where the swaying reeds parted in the distance to accommodate him.

"They're trapping us in," she said, easily recognizing a flanking maneuver when she saw one.

"I know," he said.

The road was on a flat expanse of land, broken only by a gentle hill here and there but the grass offered plenty of cover and the attackers used it well. Yuna couldn't see them until one purposely stepped out onto the road about fifteen feet ahead. She looked over her shoulder, and saw that the man she had sensed was now walking on the road behind them, giving them no place to run.

"Well, look what we have here," the first man sneered as he approached.

He was on the smaller side, but lean and probably fast too. His dark eyes were sharp and cunning and Yuna didn't like the way he was looking at her at all.

"Aw, it looks like a couple of love birds," the one behind them mocked as he came closer.

He was quite bit bigger than his friend, all hulking muscle, but his lumbering gait made Yuna think that while he was strong, he wasn't very fast. One thing was for sure though. They were both ugly.

"What do you want?" Boruto asked, his voice sounding almost calm despite all the tension.

"We are but humble travelers," the first man continued, ambling closer still. "Who are simply looking for any charitable contributions to our cause."

"And what's your cause?" Yuna asked, hating this villain's carefree demeanor.

By now the man was only a few feet away and he stopped and looked at her carefully, a cruel smile appearing on his face.

"Oh, you know, looting, pillaging, raping. The usual."

He gave her a wink as he said the last thing on his list, making Yuna's blood boil at the mere thought of him touching her while his partner behind him began to guffaw is if he had said something terribly funny.

"Look, we don't have much money so we're hardly worth your time," Boruto said, stepping in front of Yuna slightly. "We're just trying to get to our destination so please let us pass."

"Well, I'll let you pass, sure," the man in front of them said, having to look up to meet his blue eyed gaze since he wasn't much taller than Yuna. "On the provision that you give us a little time with your lovely companion."

Boruto could hear the leather in Yuna's gloves creak as she clenched her fists tightly, trying to keep herself from knocking these scumbags into next week.

"Leave her alone," he ordered gruffly, his voice now tinged with anger. Apparently he didn't like what these mean were planning either. "She has nothing to do with this."

"Oh, she has everything to do with this with a sweet little body like that," he sneered, his eyes seeming to look right through the layers of her dark teal blouse, making Yuna want to wrap her arms around herself and hide her body from his prying eyes, either that or slam his face into the ground.

"Fucking  _try_ it," she said tightly, her hand instinctively going to the kunai hidden in her pouch.

"So you're feisty? My kinda woman," the first man chuckled and drew his own kunai from an unknown pocket and pointed it at her. "You and me are gonna get to know each other real—"

His sentence was cut off with the clang of metal as kunai clashed. Yuna had rushed forward, intending to lodge the weapon in his shoulder and perhaps remind him how every man should treat a woman.

Metal ground against metal as Yuna rasped out, "If there's anything I can't stand more than a rogue ninja, it's a pervert."

They broke apart, poised to strike again.

Boruto stripped off his pack and squared off with the second bandit.

"Are you sure this is wise kid?" the larger man asked. "You could just run now and you wouldn't get hurt."

"You're making a mistake," Boruto cautioned as they circled each other like a couple of wolves.

"No, I'm pretty sure this is exactly what we want to do. Feisty over there looks like a lot of fun!"

Boruto's eyes flicked over to his partner who easily dodged one of the smaller man's attacks. She was about to jab her elbow into her assailant's exposed back when the man dropped into a tight roll and sprang up on Yuna's other side.

Boruto watched the two of them fight and knew Yuna would be fine after their long sparring session the other day. Although he didn't want to admit it, she was exceptionally skilled and had managed to keep him on his toes the entire match.

Turning his focus back to his opponent, Boruto made the hand seals for a clone jutsu, producing two identical copies of himself.

The clones moved behind him, already knowing his intentions.

Boruto drew his sword and made a quick hand sign. Suddenly, his blade with coated with lightning.

Boruto lunged toward the bandit, his shadow clones following closely behind. As Boruto readied his sword, the two clones behind him made several rapid hand signs before clapping their hands together. When they pulled their hands apart from each other, wind had compressed and transformed into a powerful gale.

"I'm gonna wrap this up!" Boruto said and jumped up before his clones released the technique and increased his speed. "Boruto stream!"

Yuna paused mid-fight as she witnessed Boruto propel himself at an amazing speed towards the enemy.

"Amazing." There was awe in her voice.

The silvery glint of metal caught her eye and Yuna's hand closed around the wrist of her attacker and halted his actions mere centimeters before the point of his kunai was driven into her cheek.

The man was clearly surprised Yuna had been able to stop him and was even more surprised when the grip on his hand tightened so much he was forced to drop the weapon. Unfortunately, Yuna's attention had been fixed on what only one hand was doing. She was unprepared when a similar blade in the man's second hand sunk several inches into her shoulder causing her to cry out in pain.

A crimson stain formed around the lodged weapon seconds later and mixed with the dirt under her feet. Her fingers wrap around the handle of the kunai in her shoulder and tugged it out in one swift movement.

Boruto's weapon had missed its mark. He intended to deliver a fatal strike into the heart of his enemy, but as he drew close, torturous memories flash through his mind—Kawaki, the blood, and his hauntingly vacant eyes.

Knowing he would never have a better chance than this, the large man clutched Boruto's blade and pulled himself free before delivering a kick to Boruto's stomach that had his tall form reeling backward.

"You stupid brat!" The large man cried angrily as blood began flowing steadily from the gash in his shoulder.

Yuna's attention was quickly diverted as she saw Boruto hit the ground in a heap. Last time she had caught a glimpse of him in his own fight, he had been holding his own. And as he slowly started to get to his feet, she could tell something was wrong.

The smaller man launched himself at Yuna again, sending a right hook towards her face that Yuna blocked with her forearm.

The Diamond Kunoichi hooked her own ankle around her attacker's and pulled sharply to knock him off his feet and sent him tumbling into the dirt.

"Get ahold of yourself, Boruto!"

Her words seemed to do nothing to rouse him.

"Boruto!"

Suddenly, a flash of brown and black, slipped behind her and grabbed her wrist tightly. With one fluid move, he yanked her full forced to the ground, sending her flying onto her back amidst the moss and ferns of the forest.

The impact knocked the wind right out of her and she hadn't even caught her breath before he was upon her, straddling her hips and leering into her face.

"What's the matter sweetheart?" He sail, his voice raspy and rough. "Can't put up a good fight when I use my true power?"

"I won't lose to the likes of you," Yuna panted, trying to force air into her lungs.

Before she could react, a large hand shot out and grabbed a fistful of her hair, hauling her up so he was nose to nose with her.

Yuna let her eyes drift from the man in front of her to Boruto standing in the middle of the field, frozen.

"Think your man is going to save you? You're wrong honey, but don't worry. We'll take real good care of you." The man said before jerking his head at his friend. "Hurry up and finish him off so we can get out of here."

The larger man drew a kunai from his holster and threw it, aiming for Boruto's head. She gasped, her eyes wide.

_Boruto!_

Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming sense of adrenaline flow through her veins. She was no longer in control of her body. She drew a kunai from her holster and lodged in into the man's shoulder before delivering a hard, swift kick, directly to his groin. Although she hadn't used any chakra to enhance her strength, the man instantly crumpled to the ground with a howl of pain.

His partner's cry distracted the man long enough to enable Yuna to make a few quick hand seals. She slammed her hands down onto the earth and said, "Carbon Release: Carbon shelter!"

Suddenly, black liquid surrounded Boruto and formed into the shape of a dome. When the kunai made contact it bounced off the dome and whizzed past her ear into a nearby tree.

Relief flooded through her.  _Oh, thank God._

The large man attacked head on, intending to deliver a finishing blow but Yuna was still agile enough to sidestep and as her attacker's punch connected with nothing but air, she landed a hit directly on the back of his neck, dropping him instantly onto the ground, completely unconscious.

"You little tart…" the larger man growled behind her as he picked himself up from the ground. He staggered a little, still clearly in pain and Yuna wasted no time in racing towards him to punch him hard in the stomach, causing him to double over and followed up with a roundhouse kick to the side of the head, sending the big brute into the ground alongside his partner, out cold.

Her knees buckled beneath her. The kunoichi was exhausted in a way that was more than chakra depletion. The very marrow of her bones felt weary and she was also mentally and emotionally exhausted as well.

Yuna was about to lower the dome around Boruto when suddenly another enemy dropped down in a crouch before her. How the hell did they not pick up his chakra signature earlier?

He had messy, jet-black hair that swept down in his pale skin and intense blue eyes. He was dressed in a simple blue hoodie over a pink T-shirt and a pair of black jeans with chains on the side, and a fingerless pair of black gloves.

She swallowed hard, not sure how to handle this situation, but as her enemy began to advance, she picked herself up off the ground and assumed a fighting stand, preparing to defend herself if need be.

He glanced down at the two men on the ground before shifting his gaze to Yuna. "You there. What's your name?"

She paused. "Yuna Katayama."

"You're a remnant of a clan that was wiped out long ago."

"Yeah, what of it?"

The man chuckled, the sound making the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. Her senses were screaming at her that something was definitely strange about him.

Before she even had the time to gasp, he was behind her. His hand fell to the nape of her neck and began playing with the long strands of hair there.

"You have an unusual power," he rasped, his voice like velvet. "One that is worth a good price underground."

Yuna whirled around on her opponent, chakra infused fist poised for attack, but his reflexes were still sharp enough to avoid her attack by launching himself straight into the arch, body twisting in a graceful backflip that carried him right over Yuna's head. He landed facing her in a crouch next to his fallen comrades.

"Sorry, but I'm not for sale."

"Is that so," he said and gave her a smile that made her shiver in a way that was slightly disconcerting, before stepping toward his fallen comrades. "Well, that's a shame."

"Who are you?"

"Ryuuji Matsushima." He placed his kunai between his teeth, freeing up his hands to make the signs for a teleportation jutsu and said, "Until next time." And in the blink of an eye, he along with the two degenerates were gone, with just a puff of smoke marking where they had been.

Yuna stilled, searching the area for signs of chakra, but there was nothing. Even if he had masked it she would have felt a flicker to mark that he was nearby, but there was nothing.

_Shit. Shit. Shit!_

She tried to quell her rising sense of panic and frustration. She cursed herself for letting him get away. She was gripped suddenly by a creeping cold and deep sense of foreboding. Her parents were going to freak, she knew, but how much and how far, she had no idea. His words haunt her.  _"You have an unusual power. One that is worth a good price underground."_  
  
When she released the dome around Boruto, he was staring down at his hands. He was incredibly still and for a second Yuna's heart stopped, thinking something was seriously wrong with him. She flared her chakra and crept slowly towards him so she wouldn't catch him off guard. But Boruto didn't even glance in her direction, his body giving no sign that he even knew she was there.

She was just a few paces away from him when she saw it. His body had looked frozen from a distance, but she could see now that he was shaking. His shoulders shook and his fingers trembled as he stared down at them. Only his legs were still and from how much of a panic he seemed to be in, it surprised her that his knees hadn't given out. He looked like he was in a state of shock.

She reached out a hand towards him, trying to keep it in his line of sight. But Boruto still didn't look at her. She wasn't even a foot away from him. Did he really know she was there? But she told herself that Boruto was somewhat aware it was her. Even if not, his reflexes from years of being a shinobi would kick in and he'd be able to defend himself against an attack.

She rested her hand on his arm, speaking softly, "Boruto?"

Boruto flinched away from her and he looked up at her with wide and terrified eyes. She could tell it took a second for him to process who she was, to take him away from whatever he was thinking. She met his eyes and didn't make a move to touch him again. "Boruto?"

He looked away from her and his breathing slowed back to normal from the quick short breaths he had been taking. His eyes wandered across the clearing and landed on the blood on the ground. Yuna watched as he closed his eyes and swallowed. When he opened them again, he looked down at the sword at his feet.

Yuna looked with him, her heart rate speeding up from the anxiety. She had never seen Boruto like this. He looked so…scared. His hands seemed fine, no broken bones from what she could deduce without touching them. They were covered in blood, though. She glanced back at Boruto's face as he pulled a small cloth from his pouch with trembling fingers.

Yuna reached her hands out and stopped his fingers gently. Boruto's hands stilled in hers, but she could still feel how they shook in her hands even as he tried to will them to stop.

She took a tentative step forward as she carefully took the cloth from his hands. It was soaked in blood, but she forced herself not to cringe at the smell. She was a shinobi, she was used to it. But she focused even more so than usual on not showing any expressions of disgust or fear.

She opened her pouch on her thigh and slipped the cloth inside so she could clean it later. When she looked back to Boruto, he was watching her with an emotion she couldn't determine. She gave him a soft smile and asked him, "Do you have any injuries?"

Boruto shook his head and looked back down at his hands. He tried to move them to his sides, but Yuna caught them in hers and reached into her knapsack for the water bottle she knew she'd packed away. She took it out and uncapped the lid, feeling Boruto's eyes on her. She grabbed his hands and let the water stream slowly over him as she rubbed away at the blood. Boruto was silent through the whole ordeal and by the time she had run out of water, Boruto's hands were a faint pink instead of the morbid red they had been.

She noticed he had a black diamond-shape on his right palm.  _A seal?_ She thought absently.

When she looked up at him, she dropped his hands gently. She gave him a smile as he stared at her with an unreadable expression. He still looked shaken to her, but he was getting a handle on himself. It made Yuna want to reach out for him, but she didn't want to overstep more than she had. Boruto didn't seem like the type of person to be open about his past or how he was feeling. Yuna knew that and she didn't want to say something to make him push her at an even farther distance. She didn't want him to close himself off from her, become cold and distant.

Yuna stepped to the side, glancing at him. "The enemies retreated. We can complete the mission and head back tomorrow morning after recovering tonight. We're both low on chakra."

It took him a moment, but he nodded and began to walk alongside her. They had walked a few feet before he asked her, his voice coming out more steady than earlier, "Were you injured?"

Yuna nodded and she raised her hand to her right shoulder. She could feel Boruto looking at her worriedly as they walked, but she didn't meet his eyes.

"Let me see."

"It's not serious," she replied hastily, shrugging him off when he tried to inspect the wound. "I was just careless and underestimated them. Besides, tending to me here might not be the best choice. I can hold out until we get to an inn."

Boruto growled in exasperation. He was stubborn, but so was Yuna, and he knew he would probably lose this battle if it came down to the strength of their wills.

As he leaned down to pick up his sword, Boruto noticed she winced slightly as the strap brushed over her wound as she went to adjust her backpack.

"Hand it over."

"Huh?" Yuna asked, cocking her head to the side a little bit. "What?"

"Your backpack...I'll...uh...carry it for you."

Yuna smiled a little, genuinely grateful for the gesture and could feel the knot that had been twisting in her stomach since their meeting finally uncoil a little.

"Come on, I don't have all day," he said, reaching out to take her backpack.

"H-hai!" She took off her pack, careful to not move her arm too much and handed him her bag.

As they reached the edge of the town at last, Yuna wondered if perhaps they could make this awkward partnership work after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the late update everyone. Life has been crazy. Thanks to all of those who favorite/followed/reviewed Mine to Take. Very much appreciated. Keep it coming!**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

The town was small and quaint, filled with modest homes and simple shops. If the sun had been shining, it would have looked like a postcard come to life. The inn was easy to find and the elderly woman at the front desk looked to be half blind the way she was squinting at the book she was trying to read. The dark, long sleeved dress and the way she had her grey hair pulled into a bun made her look like a strict and intimidating school teacher. However, the illusion quickly dissolved when she looked up at the sound of the door opening and she immediately began to fuss over the crimson stain on Yuna's clothes.

"Good heavens, your arm!" she exclaimed, forgetting about her book as she hustled off to retrieve a fluffy, white towel. "What happened?"

"Oh, this? It's nothing. We encountered a few rouge shinobi while heading towards our destination. I'm just glad we made it to this inn," Yuna answered, unzipping her pack that was hitched onto Boruto's shoulder and pulled out her wallet. "We'd like a room please."

"Certainly, certainly!" the elderly woman quipped, handing her the towel before she counted out the fee for a night's stay.

Boruto reached for his wallet, but Yuna stopped him. "My treat."

"I can pay my—" he began

"Don't worry about it."

"Yuna, really—"

She didn't let him finish. "Look, I get it. You don't want to feel like you owe anyone anything. And you don't, at least not to me. Besides, we're partners aren't we?"

Boruto still looked hesitant so she added in a gentler voice, "Please, I want to pay."

The taller teen sighed and put his wallet away as if the whole thing was more trouble than it was worth.

Yuna smiled, partly because she had won the fight.

"You two sound like an old married couple," the innkeeper said as she handed Yuna back her change. "And I should know, because my husband-Godbless his soul-and I talked like that to each other for 55 years."

Boruto flushed bright scarlet and glanced quickly at Yuna, who was smiling benignly at the innkeeper.

"You think? Yuna laughed as she slid her change back into her wallet. "He's a bit of a grump and refuses to take me out on a date."

Boruto rolled his eyes. This girl sure was adamant about that date.

"Poor thing," she said sympathetically. "Any man would be lucky to get a beautiful girl like you. Come now, I'll show you to your room."

She pulled a key out of a small drawer in her desk and turned down the hall with a flutter of her dark skirt. She stopped at the last room on the right and opened it so they could step inside.

"Call me if you two need anything," the innkeeper said as she handed the key to the blond haired man. The door closed and he could hear her footsteps hurrying back to the front desk.

Boruto switched on the small bedside lamp and looked at his surroundings and noted that even though the room was small it was at least clean. The floral printed quilt on the bed looked to be handmade and a watercolor painting of the ocean adorned one wall. The place was a little too quaint for his tastes, but he was grateful they didn't have to sleep outside.

Yuna plopped on the bed and pulled off her sandals, wiggling her toes and trying to ease her tired feet.

"You can take a shower first," Boruto said as he stripped off his pack and set it on the lone chair in the room. "After that I'll bandage your arm."

Yuna didn't have to be told twice and she immediately grabbed her bag and hopped off the bed. The bathroom was small as well, hardly having enough room for the door to open inward. There was a toilet, a sink and possibly the smallest shower she had ever seen, but as long as the water was hot, she didn't give a damn.

She cranked on the water and within minutes, the room was filled with steam. She stripped off her clothes but figured she might as well rinse them out in the shower while she was at it for they were dirty and sweaty and she seriously doubted this place had laundry facilities.

After pulling the tie from her hair, she stepped into the shower, sighing in bliss as the hot droplets immediately pelted her weary body. She was able to scrub nearly her whole back with her good arm and carefully wiped around the tender edges of her wound. Clean at last, she shut off the shower and stepped out and dried off.

Once dressed, she slipped out into the main room where Boruto was perched patiently on the edge of the bed, waiting for her.

When Yuna finally emerged, dressed in an oversized T-shirt and tight black leggings with her hair down, Boruto found he actually kind of liked it, although he could see why she would always put it up for practical reasons.

"Do you have a medical kit?" he asked.

"Uh-huh."

As she pulled the medical kit from her pack, a white piece of paper fell out and drifted to the floor at Boruto's feet. He leaned over to pick up the paper and said, "You kept this?"

"I told you I was."

"Why? It's horrible...all my drawings are."

She took the drawing from Boruto's hand. "It's not horrible," she said. "Don't let what Ataru said discourage your from what you enjoy doing."

"It's not just Ataru," he said. "Everyone thinks that."

"Then they're all idiots," she said. "You enjoy drawing, right?"

"Yes."

"Then that's all that matters."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Yuna opened the medical kit and smiled to herself. A card was tucked in the mesh pocket, and Yuna reached for it.

_For when I'm not around. :)_

_-Ataru_

It was the most extensive one she'd ever seen, containing a suture kit, sterile drapes, gauze bandages, hydrogen peroxide, a scalpel, Betadine sticks, antibiotic ointment and pain medication.

"You could do surgery with those supplies." Boruto said.

"Right," she giggled. "Ataru is always well prepared. He makes me carry this around in case he's not here to offer first-aid."

Boruto took the med-kit from her hands and sat on the bed beside her. He was close enough for her to touch, for her to smell. Oh my…sweat and body wash and Boruto. Her inner goddess swooned.

"I can't suture your wound like this. You're gonna have to lose the shirt."

The words were out of his mouth before he even realized he said it. Perhaps his subconscious was on a mission to see her chest again. Apparently Yuna was thinking the same thing, for she looked at him strangely, smile gone from her lips.

"Are you trying to get another peek, Boruto?"

"Don't be perverted," he said, feigning exasperation as he tossed her the towel that the innkeeper had given her earlier when they'd walked in. "You can leave everything else on and cover up more with this if you want, or you can just bleed out or risk the chance of getting an infection. Your choice."

Yuna looked at him a moment more as if trying to figure out if he was sincere or if he had an ulterior motive. In the end, her hand went to the hem of her shirt. When he remained looking at her she chuckled.

"Planning to watch?"

Her amused words made heat rise to his cheeks and he spun around, facing the bathroom door as he heard the rustle of cloth being shed and the squeak of bed springs as her weight shifted on the mattress. Before his brain could go completely haywire and imagine his naked partner, her soft voice announced she was ready.

Yuna's heart started to hammer in her chest when she felt the mattress dip, so loud that she wondered if he might hear it. The second his hands came in contact with her bare skin, a sharp thrill raced through her, like a chill or a shiver, only far more delicious.

"This is going to sting." He liberally poured hydrogen peroxide over the wound.

Yuna sucked in her breath, but that was the only sound she made.

The wound effervesced as the peroxide cleaned out the dried blood. When the bubbles abated, Boruto tilted his head, trying to see better in the limited lighting from the bedside lamp. Gently, he took a gauze pad and patted the wound dry. It was ready to be stitched. Nervously, he opened the suture kit. Luckily, the thread was already attached to the needle.

"Here goes nothing. Brace yourself." Tentatively, he pushed the needle through her skin.

Yuna grunted.

He stopped. "I'm hurting you."

"I can take it. Go on."

Muscles tensed, Boruto proceeded with his grim task. Yuna gripped her shirt tighter. He felt so guilty. It was because of him that she'd been hurt.

"Listen," he began. "About earlier, I'm sorry. I'm normally well focused in those types of situations. I don't-"

Yuna shook her head. "You don't need to explain yourself or apologize, Boruto. It's fine."

"It's not fine. I screwed up. And because of that, you got hurt."

His words made Yuna shift eyes if teal back to him, regarding him for a second before she spoke.

"What this?" She pointed to the wound on her shoulder. "This was because I got careless. I should have focused more on the enemy and not that fancy technique you were doing."

"Fancy technique?"

"Boruto Stream!" She cried, waving her hands energetically as Boruto tried to avoid getting smacked in the head by her flailing arms while trying to suture her wound.

"Hey, settle down! I can't stitch your wound up when you're moving around like that."

"Anyway, you're going to make mistakes. You're human." She raised her left index finger and smiled. "Dad always said, "When you make a mistake, there are only three things you should ever do about it: admit it, learn from it, and don't repeat it.""

"I'll admit, seeing you frozen like that, it scared me. I did not know what was wrong." her smile faded as she continued, "If I hadn't moved when I did you would have been killed."

"I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Listen, Boruto, you don't have to talk to me; you don't have to tell me anything about your past. I just want you to know that my offer still stands. If you ever need to talk, I'm here. And I'm not saying it out of pity, but as a friend, okay?"

"Thanks," the whiskered shinobi said gratefully.

She gave him a happy eye crease in response, and turned her head back to the front of her.

"But enough about that," Yuna sighed with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Tomorrow is a new day. As long as we complete our mission and don't run into the creepy guy with blue eyes we're good."

"Blue eyes?" Boruto said, his voice taking on a slightly sharper edge although his posture remained relaxed. "You never mentioned anything about another enemy."

"Well...you weren't exactly yourself."

Boruto plunged the needle into her skin with more force than necessary.

"Ow!" She cried. "Would it hurt you to be a little more gentle?"

"Talk. Now."

The dark haired kunoichi winced at her partner's stern tone. She knew there was no way out of this now that Boruto knew and as much as she didn't want to worry him, he deserved answers as much as she didn't want to give them.

"He showed up after I took out those two goons," she said. "His hair was jet black and he had these strange eyes that were a really intense blue. He seemed creepy somehow. I can't explain it, it's just a gut feeling."

Boruto had been in the business far too long to be foolish enough to ignore gut feelings. It may only be a hunch but hunches had often saved his life.

"Did he say anything?"

Yuna said nothing for a moment, her face tilted downwards so her fringe of black bangs covered her eyes.

"Yuna?"

"He knew I was a part of the Hoga Clan," she answered quietly. "He said I would be a good price underground."

"Because of your ability to produce diamonds."

Yuna smiled, but her eyes retained sadness in their depths.

"You know about that, huh?"

Boruto shrugged. "You're a carbon style user, not to mention you have a forbidden technique. It wasn't hard to put two and two together."

A moment of silence passed before Yuna spoke again.

"Do you think he's running a human trafficking operation with those possessing kekkei genkai?"

The whiskered teen had been thinking the exact same thing but he was reluctant to make any hasty conclusions.

"I don't know," he answered. "But if so, we need to be mindful of his movements."

Yuna nodded slightly, lips pressed in a gim line.

"Alright, that's all I can do for now," he said as he finished rolling the bandage around her shoulder before tying it in place. "Just don't strain it or you'll start bleeding again."

She nodded and pulled her shirt back over her head.

Suddenly, Boruto realized he was still dirty and pushed himself off the bed wearily.

"I'm going to go clean up," he announced as he pulled clean clothes out of his pack.

Yuna followed his movements, head turning to watch him walk across the room until he was closing the bathroom door.

"Boruto," she called, causing him to pause.

She touched her bandaged arm gently.

"Thank you."

He simply nodded and closed the door behind him and a few moments later, she could hear the sound of running water as he turned on the shower.

Clambering off the bed, Yuna raised her thumb to her lips, biting hard enough to break the skin before making a few quick hand signs. She knelt to press her palm to the ground and with a poof of white smoke, a medium, slender built caracal appeared before her, a coyote brown harness across her back and a Sunagakure hitai-ate spanning her fuzzy neck.

"It's about time you summoned me," she said bluntly, a little annoyed that her handler hadn't summoned her sooner.

"I'm sorry, Tama. I've just been a little busy lately."

"A little? You haven't summoned me since you and your family left Sunagakure."

Her nose wiggled as she sniffed the air while her eyes took in the sight of the small and dingy motel room. The smell of dust on the desert wind that surrounded Sunagakure had been replaced with smoke and grime and all other things dirty.

"Where has your mission brought you this time?" the cat asked, figuring Yuna was a long way from home.

"Close to the Land of Fire's border," the girl answered. "We're on a supply run."

"Oh, Ataru is with you? Where is he?"

Before Yuna could answer, Boruto walked through the door, dressed in a pair of grey pants and a salmon color t-shirt. She noticed that despite his lean appearance, his arms were nothing but tight, corded muscle, but she should have known that considering she had already seen demonstrations of his massive strength. If his arms looked like that, what did the rest of his body look like?

Tama frowned. "Who's this?"

"Er, Tama, this is Boruto Uzumaki. Boruto this is Tama."

He dipped his head.

"Oh," she smirked at Yuna and then narrowed her eyes with amused curiosity. "Does your mother know you're shacked up in a small room with a single bed, and let alone with a boy?"

Yuna blushed and waved her hands frantically. "I-Idiot! It's not like that." She said, embarrassed.

Tama sighed disappointedly. "Here I thought that you yourself were a good girl. Since when did you become such a lecherous girl? This is hoooorrifyiiiiiiing!"

Boruto smiled at them, actually smiled. It was slight, more of a quirk of his lips, but it was a smile.

Yuna smiled back and made another attempt to calm her summoning. "Tama, we're on a mission. Nothing more."

She didn't look convinced, and much to Yuna's surprise, Boruto had stepped in.

"If it gives you some peace of mind, I'll be taking the floor tonight." He said as he sat on the edge of the bed to towel dry his hair.

With one bounding leap, Tama jumped onto the bed and stretched up on her hind feet and placed her front paws solidly on Boruto's shoulder as she looked into his eyes with laser-like intensity.

Boruto looked back, disconcerted by the scrutiny.

"I like you, kid," she said finally, "You've got your priorities straight."

"Um...thanks...I guess."

"Tama," Yuna said, her expression turning serious. "I need a favor, if you'd be so kind."

She jumped off the bed and sat in front of Yuna.

"Name it."

She placed her hands together and with a large smile said, "Could you relay a message to mom and let her know that I won't be home until late tomorrow? The mission went a little longer than anticipated. I don't want her to worry, you know how she can be."

Tama rolled her eyes.

"We don't want that."

"And as payment for your trouble, I got you this." Yuna reached into her bag and pulled out a small toy mouse.

Tama's eyes widen. She could recognize that scent anywhere. Catnip!

Finally, she grabbed it with her teeth and front paws and tore at it madly with her hind legs, shredding the paper and most of the container with her powerful claws. Tama rolled over and over with the mouse, chewing and kicking the toy.

"All that excitement over a mere toy?" Boruto asked.

"Catnip," Yuna replied. "Tama goes gaga over it. It's actually quite funny to watch."

Tama dropped the toy, her teeth flashing as her lips curled into a smile. "The others are going to be jealous when they see you got me something and not them."

Yuna picked up the toy and slipped it into her harness pouch along with the scroll and stood, crossing the room to the window and opened it.

"Plenty more where that came from kitty girl. I appreciate your help on this."

Tama nodded and leapt up to the window sill and turned to them with a smirk. "Behave yourselves."

And with that, she was gone.

"You two get along well."

She locked the window and turned back to Boruto with a smile and said, "Aside from Ataru, Tama has always been there for me, in good and bad times, and everything in between. She is and has always been an amazing companion."

"I can see that," he said. "I take it your mom is one of those moms who constantly worry?"

"All. The. Time." Yuna said with a sigh as she sat on the bed, resting her crossed forearms on her knees. "Don't get me wrong, mom is great and she means well, but she can be a bit of a worry wart at times. I just wish she wouldn't worry so much."

"Yeah, it's that way with my mom too." He said. "But we're shinobi, we willingly put ourselves in harm's way just by being one. They can't protect us from everything, especially other shinobi."

"I honestly think that if dad hadn't taken Ataru in when he did, my chances of becoming a shinobi would've dwindled."

"So Ataru isn't your brother?"

"Adoptive," she clarified, "but adopted or not, he's family."

"Is he part of your dad's clan?"

"No. But they all considered him one of their own."

"What about you?"

Yuna looked at the expectant eyes trained on her and swallowed hard. This was a topic she never found easy to discuss. "I'm pretty sure you're already aware of where I stand with my clan," she said quietly. "To them, I'm nothing more than an abomination in their eyes. I bear them no ill-will, and neither does my mother. Even if they all hate us. Even if they all ignore us. We still have to try our best."

"Then maybe," she continued as she smiled to herself. "maybe one day we'll be accepted. The goal might seem impossible, but even so, I think it would be great if it came true. So I keep believing."

Boruto nodded but said no more and then silence between them stretched until it started to become awkward.

"All right," he said at last. "We should get to sleep. I'll sleep on the floor tonight."

"No, it's all right. We can share the bed," Yuna said as she got off the bed, not wanting him to resign himself to the hard, cold, and possibly unsanitary carpet. "Though I can't promise I'll keep my hands to myself when there's a smokin' hot man lying next to me."

Boruto wanted to roll his eyes at the suggestive waggle of her eyebrows but managed to refrain.

She laughed. "Just kidding. I felt like teasing you a little."

Yuna climbed into bed, scooting as close to one side as possible to give Boruto plenty of room. She closed her eyes and began to drift.

"You should smile more often you know," she mumbled sleepily. "It suits you much better than that dreadful frown you favour."

As Boruto reached for the bedside lamp, he watched her sides steadily rise and fall with every breath his eyes were, for some reason, drawn to her lips; lips that were full and pink and looked rather soft, lips that were slightly parted and looked absolutely delectable, like they were soundlessly calling to be kissed.

A woman's lips.

The thought was gone as soon as it had come, leaving Boruto incredibly perplexed to where the hell that had come from in the first place. Plucking the pillow from his side of the bed, he lay down on the floor, unconcerned with the lack of blanket and allowed himself to fall into a light slumber.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

After a couple days of travelling, they had arrived at the village gates. The mission had been a success and there were no signs of the blue-eyed man and his two comrades. Yuna kept all her senses alert, hoping to pick up even a glimmer of the powerful chakra signature she had felt the previous day, but there was absolutely nothing.

The two had reported straight to the Hokage, recounting what had happened, although the version Boruto gave was the altered one he had come up with while journeying home, purposely leaving out the part of him freezing up mid-fight on the battlefield. The Hokage had studied him long and hard and then nodded, accepting the tale and said, "Despite the mishaps that happened along the way, the two of you did very well. Boruto, you are dismissed."

The whiskered teen bowed politely before promptly leaving the office. Yuna hoped that perhaps he would wait for her, but she could sense his chakra signature diminish as he walked farther and farther away. He didn't pause, didn't even slow down as he exited the building. The knowledge was disheartening.

Naruto's blue eyes flickered over to the kunoichi in front of him. "How was Boruto," he finally said.

_Crap._

The kunoichi's eyes suddenly dropped to the floor as she bit her lip. Naruto could see she was nervous.

"He was...um...good."

She was still refusing to look at him.

"Yuna," he said, his voice soft and inquiring. "Did something happen?"

Yuna said nothing, eyes still fixed on the floor.

"Yuna. If—"

"He'll hate me," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Since I've arrived here, I could tell something was weighing down on him. I'm not sure what happened between him and this Kara organization, but it affected him...deeply."

"What happened?"

"He froze mid-fight. I tried to snap him out of it, but he didn't hear me. If I hadn't placed him inside my carbon dome he would've been killed. All I could see was fear in his eyes. I don't ever want to see that again."

For a moment, there was silence in the room, a stillness so dense that they could feel it pressing down on them with suffocating weight until at last Naruto spoke, his tone is quiet and serious.

"If that's the case, I cannot allow him to go out into the battlefield. This will only be a hindrance in battle and a liability to his team and to others as well."

"I know," she replied, at least lifting her eyes to meet his lucid blue pair. "Will Boruto be okay?"

The Hokage smiled and stepped out from behind her desk and placed his hand on her head.

"He'll be fine," he reassured. "Thank you for being honest with me, Yuna. Just leave the rest to me."

Yuna quietly shut the door to the Hokage's office and walked back the way she had come. Her body posture betrayed how dejected she felt, as if she was trudging back to the village with the entire weight of the world upon her.

"Let me guess. He wanted to know how I did, didn't he?" a masculine voice said behind her, a voice she clearly recognized.

Yuna had to keep from jumping right out of her skin, swallowing down the surprised 'eep!' that threatened to escape her lips.

She spun around to find Boruto leaning casually against the wall, watching her critically.

"B-Boruto-Kun," she laughed, rubbing the back of her head nervously. "Why are you still here? I thought you went home?"

"Don't dodge the question," he demanded. "Yes or no. Did he question you about my performance on that assignment?"

Yuna cringed and didn't say anything, letting her silence be her admittance.

"What did you tell him?"

"The same thing you told him," she lied, and he narrowed his eyes, cocking his head to one side.

"You're a hopeless liar, Yuna," the blond said with a sigh. "I kind of figured my stupid old man would pull something like this."

"Are you...mad at me?"

The question caught him by surprise. Yuna was looking at her feet as if they were suddenly very interesting and her bangs hung forward and obscured her face but he had heard the worry in her voice.

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"I dunno," Yuna ventured softly. "Maybe because I pretty much ruined your chances of a mission for a while."

Boruto exhaled tiredly in a sigh that was more in exasperation at himself than the woman next to him.

"I'm not mad at you," he began, beginning to fidget as he tried to find the right words. "If anything, I'm mad at myself for putting you in this position in the first place."

"Oh?" the kunoichi replied, genuinely surprised as she finally lifted her eyes from her feet to look at him. She was about to say more, when she heard a familiar masculine voice.

"Back from your mission already?"

Yuna turned to see a jovial looking Ataru emerging from around the corner with a medical journal in his hand.

"Ataru!" She cried, launching herself off the platform and toward Ataru, wrapping her arms around him in a fierce hug. "I've missed you!"

Ataru bloomed under Yuna's sweet smile before pulling away.

"I've missed you too."

He looked over the faded crimson stain on Yuna's clothes worriedly.

"What happened to your arm?"

"It's nothing. Just a small scratch from a kunai. Don't worry though, Boruto patched me up real good thanks to that medical kit you supplied me with."

"Oh, is that so?" Ataru said, controlling his voice carefully despite the slight wave of aggravation that passed through him at the thought of another man touching her.

"Uh-huh."

"Thank you for taking care of Yuna," Ataru gave him a dark look as they shook hands. It was a warning, as if telling him to back off. He likes her. He likes her a lot.

Boruto nodded wordlessly and Ataru turned his focus back to Yuna.

"We should probably head home so I can take a look at that cut," he said. "I want to be sure it didn't get infected."

'Asshole.' Boruto thought to himself.

"Okay," she said softly. "Catch you later, Boruto." She turned to wave at him, giving him a sunny smile that was infectious, followed by Ataru, who regarded him with ill-concealed disapproval. His antagonism made him smile.

He stared after her only a moment when an ANBU in full uniform suddenly dropped from the rooftops to the ground in front of him.

"Young Lord, you are wanted back at the Hokage tower immediately," the anonymous man said from behind the red and white bear mask.

The blond haired teen nodded in response. "I'll be there in a moment," he replied.

The messenger left as quickly as he had come, leaving Boruto to stare at Yuna a moment longer before turning back toward the Hokage tower.

The night was still young, but it was shaping up to be a long one.


	6. CHAPTER SIX

**A/N:**  OMG. Sorry for the late update once again. As I stated in my activity log, I got a new computer so I have been busy dealing with that. Thanks to the SEVERAL people who favorite/followed Mine to Take as well as those who took the time to review. Please keep it coming. :)

**CHAPTER SIX**

The past few weeks in Konoha had been pretty eventful. Yuna and Ataru were officially assigned their third member to their team, Ryōgi, a former member of the Byakuya Gang who stole from the rich and then sold the goods, in an effort to distribute the proceeds to the poor. But thanks to Shikadai's unwavering loyalty to him, Ryōgi was able to let go of his past and answer for his mistakes.

But despite knowing Ryōgi for a short period of time, to Yuna, he was family; another older brother to watch over her. Her family welcomed him with open arms, inviting him over every night for dinner so he wouldn't be alone.

There was still no sign of Ryuuji much to Yuna's relief, but she still kept a watchful eye for him just in case.

She continued to train with her new friends and slowly began to learn a little more about each and every one of them. However, the person she knew the least about was the person who spoke to her the least. She tried several times to get Boruto to lighten up around her, but he never dropped his guard.

"She's trying, Boruto," Shikadai said from his spot in Boruto's bedroom. In his hands he thumbed the buttons below the screen of a handheld video game. Shikadai had taken it upon himself to invite himself over to Boruto's, unannounced, for a guy's night in. Denki, Inojin and Mitsuki were due to arrive at any minute. "But you seriously need to cut her some slack. She's confused about how you feel about her as much as you being afraid of her."

Boruto tore his eyes away from his handheld game to look at his friend. "I'm not afraid of her."

"You're afraid of letting down your guard and letting her in. Ever since Kawaki…died, you haven't let anyone else into your circle."

"I have enough friends."

"That's not the point. Well, not all of it. We're shinobi. We have to be able to work well with people outside our social group. Making friends with someone who might be on your team in the future isn't such a bad idea."

Boruto rolled his eyes and looked out the window. Outside, the rain came down hard and the wind whipped sheets of water against the glass. Branches bent in the wind, bowing to a higher power. The dark sky flashed bright with lightning, and thunder boomed, loud enough to shake the windows and flicker the lights in the house.

His mother tapped at the door and stuck in her head.

Boruto turned his attention to his mother and said, "What's up, mom?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but do you think you can run to the store and get some candles before the power goes out?"

"Sure thing."

Boruto uncrossed his legs and hopped off the bed before grabbing his black raincoat off the hook on the wall. "You want me to tag along?" Shikadai asked as he eyed his friend.

"Nah, I'll be back shortly." Without another word, Boruto exited his room. Shikadai looked at the small black wallet sitting on his desk before looking back at the door. He thought about going after Boruto, but decided that his game was more important.

The wind, rain, and leaves made it difficult for Boruto to catch his bearings the first few steps outside of his house. Lightning continued to flash, making the clouds blink. It was rare for it to rain this hard in Konoha and he silently thanked Kami for allowing him to live in a place where the weather was almost always perfect.

This is ridiculous, he thought to himself.

Even with his raincoat, Boruto was almost frozen to the bone by the time he reached the closest corner store. Almost all the stores were closed due to the weather, but one remained open.

He pushed open the store door and rushed in, trailing water on the wood flooring. He shook rivulets of rain from his sleeves and picked up a small basket just on the inside of the door before finally moving toward the back of the store.

There were only a few other customers beside himself, but he paid them no mind. All he wanted was some candles and to get back to the warmth of his home as quickly as possible.

The sky flashed on and off like a strobe, accompanied by an almost continuous rumble.

A familiar giggle caught his attention. He quickly tossed several candles and a box of matches into his basket before heading to the cash register to confirm his suspension. Low and behold, he was right. Leaning against the checkout desk, was Yuna.

Boruto looked her over and instantly wished he hadn't. Droplets of water clung to every inch of her body, glistening in the fluorescents and capturing his attention. He watched a particularly fat drop run along her collarbone and down into her cleavage where the bindings prevented him from tracking it further. His eye hovered there for a moment, watching the rise and fall of her bosom with each breath she took. He strained his eyes a little harder and wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, but he was almost certain her bindings had become transparent enough for him to see through the wet fabric.

"You're going to get sick, young lady. Running around without an umbrella," the store clerk admonished as he continued to ring up Yuna's items. He was an older man, in his late sixties at least, and was known for being the neighborhood pervert. Most girls knew to stay away from him, but Yuna looked at ease. She was giving him a heartwarming smile, not caring much for his reputation.

"Nah, I'll be fine. I never get sick." Yuna said, puffing up her chest with pride.

"I have some extra clothes in the back if you want to change."

Yuna opened her mouth to speak, but Boruto decided to make himself known. "What are you doing?" he asked with obvious annoyance. He glanced over at the clerk for a moment before looking back at Yuna. He absently wondered if she would've taken his offer. She was far too trusting.

"Hey, Boruto," she quipped merrily, giving him a smile as he approached her. "Just getting a few candles and some snackage. The lights are probably going to go out and—"

"Where's your umbrella?"

"An old lady was in dire need of one, so I gave her mine." she said simply.

For a moment, he just stared at her with his mouth agape before he finally summoned his wits…well, a few of them anyways, to speak.

"You're going to catch a cold."

Yuna leaned lightly on the checkout counter and smirked. "Oh? Is that concern I hear in your voice?"

"1,915 yen," the clerk said bluntly, a little annoyed that Yuna had stopped paying attention to him, but managed to perk up when she gave him another heart-stopping smile. She handed him the money before taking her bags and stepping to the side. The clerk kept his eyes on her as he started to ring up Boruto's items, something that didn't escape the teenager's notice.

"So, uh, everyone is getting together tomorrow at Ichiraku for their grand re-opening if you want to tag along?" She couldn't hide the hope in her voice.

He paused. "I can't. I actually have plans tomorrow." He lied.

"Oh…I see."

Was it just him or did she actually sound…disappointed?

"Well, that's okay," she said brightly, giving him a smile that was a little too sunny and slightly forced. "Maybe some other time."

"1,278 yen, please," the clerk said with a huff. Boruto stuck his hand in his coat pocket and came up empty. His hands moved to his pants pockets and found nothing again. "Come on, kid. I want to close up before the lights go out."

Before Boruto could make a snippy retort, Yuna pushed him to one side and handed the clerk the money. When Boruto had realized what she had done, he tried to take the money back from the clerk, but the transaction was already complete. The clerk handed Boruto his bags, then pointed to the door. "Store's closed. Out."

Yuna gave the clerk one last smile before starting towards the door. Boruto followed behind her, deeply annoyed. "You didn't have to do that."

The rain had slowed to a sprinkle as they stepped out of the store and into the street. Raising her face, Yuna welcome the cool refreshing rain. She closed her eyes and took a deep, purifying breath and said, "We're friends, aren't we?"

Now Boruto found himself staring into a set of hopeful teal eyes.

"It wasn't a problem. I was happy to help."

She smiled and turned to leave. Before she could take a step, he cleared his throat. "I'll go."

Yuna glanced over her shoulder. "Huh?"

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other before meeting her eyes. "Ichiraku...Tomorrow...I'll come along. You did pay for my things just now. It's the least I can do. Maybe you'd be happy even if I didn't go…But I—"

She circled to the side of him and leaned in close. "Ah, no, it'd be great if you came!" she said, shaking her head, her eyes alight with excitement. "Thank you! I'm really happy! Thank you!"

As ever, she surprised him. She was rambunctious, open, flirtatious, and completely random. She really made him want to smile.

"You know...You really are—"

The sky exploded cutting him off. Lightning flashed, and a few seconds later thunder crackled before finally settling into a loud, angry rumble.

"I should go. I'll see you tomorrow. Be careful going home. "

Boruto waved a farewell as the diamond kunoichi rounded the corner, leaving him alone on the street as he began to head towards his own home. That is, until a quick movement caught his eye. It was too big to be an animal and the only person that could move that fast was a shinobi. He counted to ten, giving himself just enough distance between him and his target, then took to the rooftops and followed.

He was being led in the direction of Yuna's house. He could see her several blocks ahead while a familiar figure was following her. It took all but a second for Boruto to drop from the rooftops to the ground in front of him. The brown eyed man before him stood shocked, but amused.

"Yo, Boruto," he said smoothly.

"Stop following her," the blond haired teen said, his voice low, but holding an edge that was clearly threatening. However, Ataru was not one to be easily intimidated.

"You do know we live in the same house, right?"

"I'm aware. But I'm also aware of the fact that you follow her around every minute of every day. Do her a favor and give her some space."

"You don't understand," Ataru snorted. "There—"

"I don't care to understand," he hissed. "Leave. Her. Alone."

Ataru bristled at his words, brown eyes narrowing angrily. "You're making a mistake, Boruto."

"Highly doubt it."

The two men glared at each other hatefully for a moment before Ataru spoke again.

"Don't blame me for what happens next." He warned.

Even as Ataru made the hand seals for a teleportation jutsu and disappeared in a puff of white smoke, he did not let his gaze waver from Boruto's.

The words, "what happens next," played over in Boruto's mind. What did Ataru mean? Was that a threat to him or to Yuna? Was he just bluffing? Too many questions needed to be answered and Boruto wasn't looking forward to that.

He took off over the rooftops towards Yuna's house. Keeping his distance and his chakra carefully masked, he watched over her until she made it home safely. He didn't know what Ataru had meant with his cryptic warning, but didn't intend to let anything happen to Yuna.

When he finally reached his house, Shikadai, Inojin and Denki were sitting at the kitchen table.

Shikadai waved his wallet in front of him. "Forget something," he asked before his gaze landed at the bags in Boruto's hand. "How did you get those?"

"Yuna," he answered shortly before removing his jacket and placing it on a chair. "The girl is out of her mind walking around in this weather as if she's taking a stroll in the park."

Inojin chuckled. "That's no surprise. She is a little strange."

Strange? Boruto wanted to scoff at the statement. Strange was putting it mildly.

His mother smiled as she reached for the bags in his hands. "That was kind of her. Did you tell her thank you?"

He scratched his whiskered cheek with his pointer finger and muttered, "Sort of…"

"Sort of?" His mother said, tilting her head and looking at him strangely.

"I told her I would go with everyone to Ichiraku tomorrow as a thank you," he said with a faint smile, holding his hands up like he's threatening him at gunpoint.

"Really?" the Nara said, quirking an eyebrow upward as he glanced up from his game. "I thought you had enough friends, Boruto? Don't tell me she's beginning to break through that wall of yours?"

Boruto rolled his eyes.

"Onii-chan, do you have a girlfriend?"

Himawari stepped into the room, blue eyes practically glittered with excitement at the thought of her older brother with a girl.

"She's not my girlfriend," Boruto said defensively.

"It's been so long since you've gone out with your friends," His mother smiled. "I'm so happy."

"It's only ramen, mom. You're making way too big of a deal out of it."

After dinner, once the rain had passed and evening was descending, Boruto and the others went upstairs. He decided to share the other incident of the day."What do you guys know about Ataru?"

Shikadai lifted his gaze to meet his. "Didn't I already tell you?"

"You said you didn't know much about him. I want to know more."

"Why?" Inojin asked curiously.

He paused. "I caught him following Yuna at the store. I can't shake this feeling I have about him."

"Yuna is his younger sister. He's probably being protective of her." Denki reassured.

Boruto raised an eyebrow at him. "Huh? I have a younger sister too, but you don't see me following her around every minute of every day like some creep."

"You're overreacting, Boruto." Shikadai said dismissively. "You know about her clan and where she stands with them. Ataru probably follows her around for extra assurance."

"He threatened her," he protested. "Or, well, it sounded like a threat to me."

Shikadai frowned. "What? What did he say?"

"He said, "Don't blame me for what happens next."" he replied.

"That is a little unsettling," Denki said from his spot on the floor.

"Ataru Katayama," the familiar masculine voice said. "originates from Hachō Village; a village lying on the outskirts of the border of the Land of Fire, but was taken in by Masaru Katayama at the age of eight."

All three men jumped in surprise at the low, male voice that came from behind them. The fact that he had been able to sneak up on the three, highly trained, ninja unnerved them all the more.

"An exceptional shinobi who graduated with the second highest score in the history of the academy in Sunagakure," he continued. "At least that's what Lord Hokage's databook says."

"When did you—?!" Boruto said.

"Your mother let me in," Mitsuki replied, giving him a jovial eye crease before taking a seat at the edge of bed.

"Where'd you get that?" Shikadai asked, pointing to the book in Mitsuki's hand.

"From Lord Hokage's desk."

"Yeah, but—" Before Shikadai could even finish his sentence Boruto interrupted him, taking the book from Mitsuki's hands.

"Good job, Mitsuki!"

"Oi, oi, I don't think that's a good idea, Boruto." Shikadai said.

"Shut up…" Boruto muttered.

Standing abruptly, Shikadai snatched the book from Boruto's hands.

"Hey, give it back!" Boruto lunged for the databook, but Shikadai held it out of his reach.

"I suggest you get to know Yuna a little more before you go running off that big mouth of yours," Shikadai said. "She's very loyal when it comes to her family. She isn't going to be happy with you accusing Ataru of being some kind of stalker. Until we get more proof, we should lay low and watch."

"Shikadai's right, Boruto." Denki added, pushing up his glasses. "There's no reason to make her mad without any hard evidence."

Boruto rolled his eyes and turned his gaze to Inojin. "What do you think?"

"I think we should keep our mouths shut. Not a word, not even to Chōchō."

"Why?"

"Really?" Inojin said, arching a blond eyebrow. "Chōchō is the biggest motor-mouth in Konoha. She'll tell Yuna in a heartbeat."

Boruto hung his head in defeat. It appeared he had lost this round.

Shikadai rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Man...This is turning out to be such a drag."


	7. CHAPTER SEVEN

A/N: This is a short chapter. I broke it down into two parts. Part two is almost complete and as soon as I finish I'll upload it so you guys won't have to wait. Thanks to those who favorited/followed/reviewed! Much appreciated. Please keep it coming. :)

CHAPTER SEVEN

"So? How did it go?"

Ryuuji's lackey swallowed hard and glanced around the room that that looked like some nightmarish hybrid of a science laboratory and a medical clinic.

Cloudy liquids bubbled over Bunsen burners while several beakers partially full of unknown chemicals sat close by. Another table held a full set of surgical instruments, all sparkling clean and gleaming malevolently under the harsh fluorescent lighting. The far side of the surprisingly large room housed dual rows of foldable cots, two of which were occupied, and he gasp aloud when he saw that Ryuuji had plucked an eye from one of the occupants lying on the cot.

"Well?"

The lackey cleared his throat. "I found her."

"And?" Ryuuji channeled healing chakra to his hand until it glowed a faint green and placed it over his right eye, instantly dispelling the pain and transplanting the eye. Once finished, he moved his hand away, revealing a Byakugan.

"Konoha is still in the process of rebuilding and security is thin. But even so, I think it's best to cut our losses with this one."

Ryuuji discarded his jacked and pulled the shirt he wore underneath over this head, revealing a circular device attached to the center of his chest.

What is that? The lackey mused silently.

"Why is that?" he asked, as the man lowered his gaze to the ground. "Were you spotted?"

"No," he replied hastily, meeting his gaze once again. "It's just…"

"It's just?" Ryuuji prodded, growing irritated with the man in front of him.

"It appears someone else is intrigued with her; a shinobi. He's constantly by her side and if he isn't, he's watching from afar." He said, his eyes following the other man's every move as Ryuuji casually walked over to the table full on instruments. His finger absently ran over the rim of an empty glass beaker before picking up a gauntlet.

"Is that so?" He mused as he strapped the gauntlet to his right forearm. "And what of the mother?"

"She's a medical-nin for the Leaf Village Hospital," he answered. "She keeps the same daily routine. She would make for an easier target."

Activating the Byakugan in his right eye, Ryuuji pressed the button on the gauntlet. Suddenly, wires ejected from inside the bracer and attached themselves deep into his forearm and drawing an anguished gasp from his lips. He fell to his knees and cradled his arm to his chest as he forced himself to breathe through it.

"Ryuuji-san!" he called, running to him quickly. He was at his side in seconds, kneeling down next to him with genuine concern.

"I'm ok," he said through gritted teeth, his forearm still spasming painfully. "It's doing what it needs to do. Give me a minute and I'll be fine."

He nodded slightly and a moment of silence passed before he spoke again.

"What is that thing?"

"A new tool I have been working on." he answered, breathing heavily.

"What does it do?"

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order" he said, attempting a smile that came out more like a grimace.

After a slight hesitation, he nodded.

"Alright then, I'll show you," he said, a dark note creeping into his voice that the man before him didn't like at all.

Before he even had time to gasp, Ryuuji pulled him roughly against him and felt something pierce him in the abdomen.

"R-Ryuuji-san..." he said, struggling weakly against him as he felt his chakra rapidly being depleted.

"Look at it this way. Even if you're dead you'll still continue to live on, through me."

After a moment, the lackey sagged against him and Ryuuji pulled his arm back, removing the long needle before it retracted back into the gauntlet. The man's body crumpled to the ground, dead from the shinobi's attack.

Ryuuji stood and smoothed a hand over his short hair as he walked away.

"Now then, I wonder how the young Hoga girl will react to this."


	8. CHAPTER EIGHT

A/N: This is a super long chapter, so I really hope you enjoy it. Please note that when I wrote this story, her Flare Style was kinda in the works. First it was Earth and Lightning for it but now it's going to be Fire and Wind. So Yuna's chakra natures are: Fire, Wind and Earth. Anyways, back to it. Thanks for those who reviewed/followed. Please keep it coming. I love to hear what you think. :)

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

"Ryōgi, it's heading your way now!" Yuna called out with a grin; using explosive tags to flush the oversized insect out after she had pinpointed its general location.

"Right, I'm on it!" Ryōgi replied as he leapt up in the air and placed his hands together.

Several ice darts made contact with the centipede and it reared up with a cry of pain, before shooting forward with its venomous pinchers towards Ryōgi who was still falling to the ground for a landing. He gritted his teeth, knowing that he wouldn't land in time to dodge. As soon as the dangerous pinchers made contact, a puff of smoke encircled him, leaving behind a log where his body used to be.

"Gotcha!" Yuna yelled as she came up from behind, scaling the back of the centipede's body as she threw several kunai, with wiring attached, on both sides of the body. She then leapt off the centipede when she made it to the head, and held a single hand sign as the insect struggled to get loose of the bindings. "Bak!"

Every kunai that had been used to secure the wiring all glowed briefly before the red and black explosive tags attached to them activated. The combined explosions caused the ground to cave in from under the centipede. A large cloud of dirt filled the area for a while and the two grouped back together to see if their attack had done the trick. As the smoke finished clearing, they could see the crushed and burned body twitch several times before it finally went completely still.

"Well that was a bit disappointing," Yuna said with a slight frown; she had wanted this mission to be a bit more interesting. "It wasn't even that big like they'd described."

"Still," Ryōgi said, smiling. "Ataru did say they were dangerous. Those pinchers are poisonous and their increased size makes the poison more potent."

Yuna put her hands behind her head. "So why'd we split up then if these things are supposed to be that dangerous? Ataru would need help, don't you think? I mean, I know he can take care of himself, but-"

Ryōgi's eyes suddenly went wide. "Watch out! There's another one heading this way!"

The ground shook under the two and they jumped away just in the nick of time as another giant centipede surfaced from the earth. A loud monstrous roar sounded from it as it came crashing down. It was at least five times the size of the one they had just killed.

"W-what the-that thing is huge!" Ryōgi exclaimed as the insect swished its tail end around.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Yuna cried, pumping an enthusiastic fist into the air.

"Now's not the time to get excited, Yuna!" Ataru shot past in a blur of brown and black, while making a series of hand signs. "Earth Release: Sticky Earth Drop!"

Suddenly, a portal opened up in the sky, spewing down a large amount of mud onto the centipede, covering it as it struggled to get free. With a loud roar, it finally broke free, kicking its many legs around, and landing a solid blow to Yuna.

"Yuna!" Ataru called, darting forward and caught her before she could make a painful landing.

"I'm ok," she coughed as she re-gathered her bearings and stood back up, wiping a small streak of blood from her mouth.

Ataru let out a soft sigh of relief, glad that it was nothing serious.

"I hate to say it, but I think we're gonna need your Flare Release for this one."

He was expecting an infuriated outburst, and maybe for her to even throw something at him, but she just stood there unmoving, looking at him evenly.

Finally she said, "You're not serious."

"Yes Yuna, I am."

More silence.

Ataru was a patient man, but he couldn't wait for her all day.

"Yuna, you ne—"

"There is no fucking way I'm using Flare Release," she said, her voice holding more conviction than Ataru had heard her use before.

The Chūnin sighed. It figured nothing would be easy, oh no. Even for the sake of this whole damn mission.

"Yuna—"

"I'm not using Flare Release Ataru," she repeated.

"I'm in charge of this mission and you'll do as I say," he said firmly, tired of arguing with her but still trying to be gentle. He didn't want her to resent him for this.

"Ataru…" she started, but then didn't know what to say. Every fiber of her being rebelled against this, and yet, she knew she would just have to do it.

"Uh, a little help over here would be great right about now!" Ryōgi called over his shoulder.

"Yuna,"

It was a blow to her maternal pride, but Yuna finally consented, groaning aloud as she walked to stand in front of him.

Ataru turned his attention back to Ryōgi.

"Ryōgi, we gotta buy her a little time. You think you can whip up some ice spears?"

"Leave it to me," he said, leaping to a nearby tree branch and making a few hand signs. "Ice release: Ice spears!"

Five large spikes of ice shot up and skewered the gigantic centipede. However, it wasn't enough to kill it; only to slow it down. The giant roared and squirmed violently, kicking up earth the size of boulders. Ryōgi and Ataru dodged the falling earth as well as the centipede, as its legs moved in every direction.

"I've had about enough of those annoying legs of yours," Ataru said before sending several blades of wind through the centipede's legs, sending them flying through the air as it roared out in further pain.

As soon as Yuna brought her hands in front of her to begin the jutsu, she was gasping for breath, but she didn't seem to be drawing any air. She was breathing too fast and too shallowly, in danger of hyperventilating.

_No one will ever respect someone like you!_

_Get lost!_

_Just go away!_

_Die!_

"Any day now, Yuna!" Ataru called over his shoulder.

Yuna shook her head to clear the voices and tried to get a grip.

"Yuna!"

"Lay off will ya," she growled irritably, making a series of hand signs before clapping her hands together. Suddenly, yellow colored energy surrounded her as she activated the technique and forming it into a serpentine dragon that was connected to her.

"Flare Release: Dragon Surge Shot!" Yuna pointed to the centipede and the dragon shot off at a rapid speed, latching itself to the oversized insect, engulfing it in flames before she quickly shut her right hand, generating a large explosion.

As the smoke began to clear, Ryōgi asked, "Did we do it?"

"Looks that way." Ataru said turning his attention from the large sized crater before them to Yuna who was staring down at her own feet, a cheerless expression on her pretty face. "Go on ahead. We'll catch up with you shortly."

Ryōgi looked from him to Yuna and back again. "Sure."

He stared over at her, clearly debating what to do. Steeling himself in case she was still angry, he started toward her. Yuna turned and saw him, but she didn't smile. Instead, she hitched her pack onto her shoulder and strode past him.

"Are you ignoring me?" Ataru asked in disbelief as he turned to follow her.

"Perceptive, aren't you?" She murmured. She kept walking, until his hand came around her wrist and kept her from going any farther.

She wriggled out of his grasp and shot him a withering glare. "What the hell do you think you're doing? We need to catch up with Ryōgi!"

"You're not going anywhere until we talk this out," Ataru replied, his voice calm, but stern.

"Just forget it, ok?" she spat. "I just want to go home."

They stood facing each other in the clearing as he regarded her with those light, piercing eyes. She always felt like those eyes could see right into her and see her thoughts. He took her hand and led her to a fallen log nearby.

Ataru crouched down in front of her, balancing easily on his heels and took one of her hands in his. "Talk to me," he said softly. "Don't shut me out. I don't like playing games."

Yuna tried to harden her glare, giving him an unwavering stare through a fringe of black bangs. "How could you ask me to do that? You more than anyone know how I feel about using that kekkei genkai. I  _hate_  it."

His brown eyes continued to bore into hers, almost as if he could see her lie in them.

"I don't believe you," Before she could utter a word of protest, he held his free hand up. "Because  _I_  know more than anyone that you  _loved_  using it and that you were  _amazing_  at it. But you need to understand that there will be a time and place where your carbon release and basic techniques won't be enough."

She closed her eyes at the truth in his words.

After a moment, she nodded, and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before standing.

"Good girl,"

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"I'm starving," Ryōgi said as they arrived at the village gates.

Yuna gasped, her eyes wide. "Ramen!"

Her sudden outburst for ramen left them confused. She'd been so wrapped up in herself, she forgot all about their get-together at Ichiraku.

She ran her hands down her face. "Everyone was getting together today for ramen. I completely forgot. Hopefully we're not too late."

"There's always next time," Ataru said, slipping his hands into his pockets.

Yuna shook her head.

"It has to be today. It's special."

"What's so special about it?" Ataru scoffed, rolling his eyes. "It's just ramen."

"Boruto is going to be there," Yuna said with a smile.

Ataru tensed slightly at her words. That damn Uzumaki. She admired him and took an interest in him because she cared about him. She cared about him too much. An ugly emotion with a bitter sting raised in his chest. It was jealousy, a new feeling, one that he'd only ever felt around her—and he didn't like it.

"You two go on ahead without me," Ataru said. "I think I'm just gonna head over to the library to type up the mission report."

"Just push it off until tomorrow," Ryōgi said with a dismissive wave. "If I have to, I'll take it off your hands. No big deal."

"Besides, Chōchō will be there," she gave Ataru a playful nudge in the side with her elbow and snickered. "and we both know she's got a thing for you."

At this, Ataru looked at her incredulously before saying, "Yuna, you are gravely mistaken if you think I'm dumb or desperate enough to try and start relations with  _that_  girl."

Since their meeting, he had viewed Chōchō as nothing more than an annoying, gossiping girl who just happened to share his profession, and that's the way he would view her the next time he saw her, nothing more, nothing less.

"It's such a shame, really. I suppose there's no hope now of little Ataru's running around the village." She said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Unless…"

"Unless?" Ataru prodded.

Yuna stared at him, her hand cupped over her mouth.

"All these years, why didn't you tell me you…you know…"

At this, she looked around nervously before lowering her voice to a hushed whisper. "…liked men?!"

_What the hell!_

He couldn't believe she said that out loud! How dare she! He'd fantasized many times about taking her to bed, imagining how he would make her his, and work on reviving her clan every night, in every position he could think of. He would take her hard and fast, then torturously slow. He would hold her down and make her moan, and then let her be on top and command that she work her body against his to his liking. That would answer her ridiculous question.

"I don't like men. I like women." The Chūnin answered without missing a beat, despite the fact that he was sighing inwardly.

"Oh but it's all right I suppose." Yuna said lightly, apparently not interested in hearing Ataru's clarification. "There's nothing wrong with being gay."

"I AM NOT GAY!" Ataru cried, incredibly flustered after all of the kunoichi's distressing comments. He figured everyone on the street had just heard what he shouted, but he didn't care. All he wanted was to convince one person, this one single person that he was into women. Because in her current state of mind, he wouldn't be surprised if she took it upon herself to play matchmaker and bring him a nice boy to "befriend".

"Yes I know you're not." Yuna beamed, unfazed by his outburst. "I just wanted to have a little fun with you, that's all. Consider it payback for earlier."

Ataru stared at her for a moment in utter disbelief before hanging his head in defeat. He could practically feel the huge sweat drop running down the back of his head.

"You're too much." He groaned. "You two just go on ahead without me. I'll grab something at home after I finish up."

"Suit yourself," Yuna said with a sigh. With that, she took Ryōgi's hand in hers and the two took off for Ichiraku.

"Ataru!"

The brown haired man turned to find Hiroki Sarutobi approaching, his large hand waving a greeting and a smile on his lips.

"Uh, hey," he said, feigning a smile. "What's up?"

"Have you seen Yuna?"

The Katayama's eyes narrowed slightly. The Sarutobi had been intrigued by Yuna for some time, drawn not only by her beauty but by her strength as a kunoichi and her compassion for others. He couldn't really blame the guy for trying. After all, he was just as intrigued with her as he was. Unfortunately for Hiroki, Ataru had no intention of letting them meet.

"Not since this morning," he lied.

"Great," Hiroki muttered, the distress showing on his face. "Do you have any idea where she is?"

"She usually heads down to the training field around this time," he said, even though he knew for a fact that Yuna had gone the opposite way.

"Thanks Ataru," Hiroki said as he withdrew a small scrap of paper from his pocket. "Could you give this to Yuna when you see her? It's just in case I don't find her before I leave."

"A mission?" the brown haired man asked innocently as he accepted the note from Hiroki.

"Yes, I want to make sure she knows how I feel about her before I leave. Please see that she gets it."

The Katayama nodded. "I'll do what I can."

Hiroki called his thanks over his shoulder as he dashed off towards the training field. Ataru watched him go, brown eyes turning cold as he crumpled the note into a ball and dropped it on the ground. He watched the breeze carry it a few feet before he turned and walked away.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna and Ryōgi arrived at Ichiraku to find it packed by the dinner crowd. Fortunately, the rest of their comrades had already arrived and had been seated at one of the large booths.

"Jeez, what took you guys so long?" Iwabe huffed, disliking that he had been kept waiting.

"Gomen. Gomen." Yuna chuckled, taking a seat next to Ryōgi. "Our mission took longer than anticipated."

"Of course it didn't help that you forgot," Ryōgi said, his tone playful and teasing.

The kunoichi's cheeks flushed as she replied, "R-Ryōgi…"

They all laughed at that.

"No Ataru today?" Metal asked.

"Nah, he said he had some stuff to do," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest and looking a little put out that her brother could possibly have something more important on his agenda than meet his comrades for ramen.

"He's not very sociable, is he?" Sarada asked as she fished a piece of pork out of her bowl and ate it with much more finesse than Chōchō who was wolfing down her food as if she expected it to disappear at any moment.

Yuna giggled and shook her head. "I suppose not. But then again, he's always been like that."

"A shy boy," Chōchō said, "I heard he is amazingly talented when it comes to medical ninjutsu, and people say he's on par with Aunty Sakura. And in addition, those looks! He's the ray of light in our village, which is otherwise nothing but filthy boys!"

"Hey!" The boys cried in unison.

Yuna leaned forward to see what Boruto was drawing. "What're you drawing today?"

"Probably another mediocre drawing," the artistic ninja said smugly. "You'd think he would be better by now with the years he's spent practicing."

Frowning, Yuna grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the container on the table and broke them apart and threw one of her chopsticks at the one who had insulted Boruto, hitting him in the neck.

The Yamanaka looked slightly shocked and that alone was enough to make her feel better and she noted that as he rubbed the red mark with his hand, a small bruise was already forming where the point had hit him.

"They're not horrible."

"Careful Yuna," the Uchiha smirked, chin cupped in her palm as she gazed at her. "If you praise him, he'll become arrogant."

If the dark haired woman had heard this comment she ignored it.

"I happen to think his drawings are amazing. In fact, I keep one with me all the time."

Sarada raised a black eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

Yuna nodded enthusiastically and reached into her back pouch and pulled out the drawing. "Here's the proof!"

Boruto's eyes widen.

"Why are you taking that out so openly?!" Boruto reached for the drawing in her hand, eager to tear it into shreds, but she lifted her arm in the air. Yuna held the drawing up high out of his reach.

"It's my safety charm!"

"For what?!"

"Ehhh….for romance~" she said, grinning.

At this, Boruto looked at her incredulously before saying, "Huh?!"

Yuna giggled at his flabbergasted face and tucked the drawing away safely into her pouch.

"So guys, what was your mission about?" Denki piped up.

"Centipedes," Yuna answered.

"Centipedes?"

"Uh-huh," she said. "They were causing damage to surrounding crops, so we were sent out to take care of the problem."

"You should have seen the size of the second one we took care of. It was huge!" Ryōgi chimed in. "Yuna used this jutsu and the entire thing was engulfed in flames before it exploded. What was it called again, Yuna? Flare Release…"

"Dragon Surge Shot," she muttered.

Shikadai leaned forward in the booth to look at her. "You actually used Flare Release? I thought you hated using that kekkei genkai?"

Just then, their ramen arrived and she silently prayed the steaming bowls would be enough to divert their attention off of her, but as she grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the container on the counter and broke them apart, Chōchō tried interrogating her again through a mouthful of noodles.

"So why use a technique if you hate it so much?"

"It's not like I wanted to!" Yuna exclaimed desperately before catching herself and lowing her voice. "Our other methods weren't exactly working. Ataru insisted I use it, so I did."

"So in other words you're a pushover," Boruto said pointedly before popping a large chunk of meat into his mouth.

Yuna had been in the middle of shoving ramen into her mouth, but that comment certainly got her attention. Her teal eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at the whiskered teen, the ends of her uneaten noodles hanging out of her mouth.

"Oi, Boruto!" Shikadai hissed.

Yuna, who up until now, had been staring at him with ramen noodles sticking out of her mouth, slurped them up noisily and returned sulkily to her bowl. "I'm not a pushover." She mumbled to herself before taking another bite.

"Riiiiiight." he said suspiciously. "Because it sounds to me like you didn't want to, but you did it anyway because Ataru told you so."

"You better shut that beautiful mouth of yours if you know what's good for you," the kunoichi said, jabbing a chopstick at Boruto's face.

"What did you say?!" Boruto cried, nearly knocking over his bowl of ramen with a sweep of his arm.

The daughter of Konoha's best ramen shop stopped cleaning the nearby table and moved over to theirs.

"Kids, calm down please! You'll scare away all the customers." Ayame pleaded, trying to break up the squabble.

"See? Now you made her all mad."

"She got mad because of you." He shot back.

"You know," Mitsuki said lightly, cutting into the argument, "I heard somewhere that constant bickering between two people can be a sign of unresolved sexual tension."

Instantly, everyone at the ramen shop was reduced to silence. Boruto's jaw had dropped in a horrified expression and Yuna was staring at the golden eyed ninja incredulously, her chopsticks stilled poised motionlessly over her steaming bowl.

"M-Mitsuki!" Boruto stammered as his cheeks reddened slightly.

Ayame went back to cleaning tables as if they were suddenly the most important things in the world. Apparently she no longer wanted to be involved in this particular conversation.

"Oh yes!" Chōchō said a little too gleefully. "Can you imagine it? The village hero and Konoha's new beauty? I mean-"

The kunoichi never heard the rest of what she said. Instead, she remained quiet, finishing up her meal as the sun went down and the surrounding paper lanterns were lit.

"Well guys," Yuna said, stretching in satisfaction before patting her full stomach. "I need to get home. I have to get up early tomorrow for training."

As she placed a few bills down onto the table to cover her share of the meal, she edged out of the booth and turned to leave, Boruto stood as well.

"Same," he said, pulling out money for the bill as well.

"Isn't Boruto's house in the opposite direction?" Chōchō asked through a mouthful of soggy noodles as Boruto followed Yuna out of the building and onto the street.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

They emerged into the cool evening air and Yuna filled her lungs with it. The moon was nearly full and bathed the village in soft blue light.

It was still early enough in the evening that the main streets were bustling and noisy. Boruto waited until they turned onto a quieter and less crowded street before speaking.

"You're unusually quiet. You still mad because of what I said back there at Ichiraku?"

"Of course. It's going to take a long time for me to recover from that," she said, pretending to pout.

Turning his gaze to the side, he seemed relieved.

"You were only being honest," Yuna said, turning serious again. "I respect that."

Boruto was quiet a moment, letting the sound of their footsteps fill the silence.

"Can I ask you something?" Boruto finally said. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Anything," she said.

"Why don't you like using Flare Release? I understand your clans differences, but having another kekkei genkai under your belt would be a great asset."

She sighed, as if she'd known all along he was going to ask but still had to steel herself to answer.

"Because I don't feel worthy of using it," she began slowly. "Before I awakened Carbon Release, I was trained in nothing but Flare Release. One day, when I was five, my cousin and I were sparring. When she managed to get the upper-hand, I got overwhelmed, awakening my other kekkei genkai and hurting her in the process."

"I was still too small to understand what was going on," she continued. "I mean, the week before, we were a normal clan, and the next thing I knew, they hated me and there was nothing I could do to stop it. After that, I just couldn't bring myself to use it. Every now and then when I'm sparring with my dad, he'll drop these subtle hints trying to coax me back into it. And every time I ignore them, I wonder if I'm breaking his heart."

After a bit, they came to a stop at one of the many bridges that crossed the river that flowed through Konoha. The water flowed silently beneath them but all around were the sounds of frogs calling in the night.

Their walking slowed and came to a stop and Yuna leaned casually against the guardrail, her elbows resting on the wood behind her as she looked up into the darkened sky, marveling at the moon and its brilliance.

"It's beautiful here."

"It was a lot prettier before all the destruction."

"That may be true," she said. "But everything can be rebuilt in time."

"Are you always this optimistic?"

Yuna dragged her eyes back to the blond teenager and gave him a wink. "I'm a glass half-full kind of girl."

After a moment of comfortable silence, he asked, "Do you miss the Sand village?"

"Sometimes," she replied truthfully. "I mean it's not like I loved being there and that I don't miss my friends, I do. But it's nice here; peaceful, green, and the people here are just so friendly. I like friendly."

Boruto said nothing in response and silence stretched between them once more before Yuna spoke softly.

"So how are things with you? Did they say when you'll be cleared to take on missions again?"

Boruto shook his head.

"No. Right now all I'm allowed to do are little things around the village; pretty uneventful if you ask me."

She laughed. "Listen to you, Mr. Angst. You make it sound so burdensome. They may seem like little things, but those little things can make a big difference."

"You sound just like my father," he muttered.

"Really? That's awesome!"

"Not really," he said with a dismissive wave. "He's an idiot."

Yuna hung her head in defeat. "Cruel as always, Boruto-kun…"

Boruto stifled his smile and turned his gaze to the dark flowing water below. "I'm not gonna lie, it's an adjustment. But I can't afford to have the people I care about get hurt because of me. On the bright side, I have more time to train before my master comes back."

"Is your master someone strong?"

"Of course he's strong! He's been teaching me how to fight since I was a genin. Although his training methods were harsh, everyday felt accomplished." His eyes were shining, and his excitement was palpable even from where she stood. It made her smile.

"Everyday I waited for tomorrow to come. Thinking about what sensei would teach me next, how much stronger I would become. Just thinking about it makes me excited!" Then he caught himself; the excitement faded from his face. He shifted his eyes to the side, too embarrassed to look at her as he spoke.

"Telling a girl like you all these things, it's really boring, right?"

"No, not at all," Yuna said quickly. "I think it's amazing you found something you're very passionate about."

As he turned to her, her eyes widened slightly.

_Again I...found another true Boruto, hiding underneath that always angry face...An awkward smile._

The continued walking in the direction of her house, letting a comfortable silence fall between them before Yuna started to snicker.

"What's so funny?"

"It's nothing." The kunoichi said through her chortles.

"Tell me."

"I'm just really happy right now. For the first time since I've known you, it feels like you're opening up more." she said giving him a cheerful eye crease.

Boruto felt his cheeks warm at her words, averting his gaze to the side and shoved both hands in his pockets as they continued their trek back to her house.

It had been dark for some time by the time they reached the road leading to her house. The stars overhead had been obscured by heavy clouds, the warm winds cooling with every step they took.

There hadn't been so much as a goodbye upon their parting and she supposed it wasn't necessary considering she would see him again soon, but she had kind of hoped for one anyway. He had melted into the shadows and kept his distance, making sure she made it inside safely.

As soon as the door shut behind her, Boruto exhaled heavily. Today had been quite a day and he wasn't sure what to make of it. Unexpected things had happened, things that might not necessarily be good, but if they were bad, why was he feeling better than he had in months?

As he turned to leave, his Jōgan instinctively activated, and Boruto's eyes widened as he witnessed a dark shadow looming over Yuna's house.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"Tadaima," Yuna called, taking off her sandals and wandering inside. She didn't know why, but she froze instinctively as soon as she stepped inside. She took a moment to realize it's because the pale, tall figure standing in the middle of the kitchen and holding her unconscious mother by her throat was Ryuuji, and he was smiling smugly at her.

"I found you…"

**A/N: Reviews please! :)**


	9. CHAPTER NINE

**A/N: Sorry for the late update everyone. I know I promised it over the weekend, but things got in the way. I'm honestly surprised at the feedback on the last chapter and how some of you had messaged me and reviewed to get these out quicker. Lol. I'm trying, so bear with me. With work/family/gaming...it gets busy. Thanks for all the love and support. I appreciate each and every one of you. Anyhoo, enjoy a super duper long chapter.**

**CHAPTER NINE**

_Holy fuck._

He's here, gazing at her with a smug look on his face, holding her mother by her throat. Her subconscious swooned into a dead faint, and she didn't think even smelling salts would bring her back.

She blink repeatedly at Ryuuji as her mind went into overdrive. How did he get in? Where's Dad? Holy shit! Where is Dad?

A creeping cold fear gripped her heart, and her scalp prickled as each and every follicle on her head tightened with terror. What if he'd harmed him? She started breathing rapidly as adrenaline and bone-numbing dread coursed through her body.  _Keep calm, keep calm_ —she repeated the mantra over and over in her head.

It felt like an eon had passed while she processed all this, though in reality it was only a split second. Ryuuji's expression remained smug, and his chakra felt different from their last encounter, more ominous and stronger than ever before. The intense blue eyes he once had were now mismatched. A pupil less lavender eye had replaced one of his own. Her eyes drifted to his chest where she noticed a circular device attached to the center of his chest and a gauntlet attached to his right forearm.

Yuna's breath caught in her chest at the discovery.

Despite the fact that her mouth had no moisture in it whatsoever, she attempted to speak. "Ryuuji, right? What're you doing here?" She rasped. He smiled, but it was a disturbing curl of his lip rather than a true smile.

"I was in the area. It's not often I get turned down by a woman or anyone else for that matter. Thought I'd stop by and see if you'd reconsider my offer."

His voice was warm and smooth, betraying him as someone far more sophisticated than the brainless thugs she was accustomed to dealing with.

Yuna wondered, not for the first time, if she was severely in over her head in trying to take on this man.

She didn't answer his question but simply inched her hand to the kunai pouch strapped on her thigh, but came to an immediate stop when Ryuuji tightened his grip around her mother's throat, letting a small gasp of pain escape her lips.

"Easy there, little kunoichi. Let's not do anything rash, shall we?"

Before she could muster a reply, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Well, lookee here." The large bandit from one of her previous missions emerged from the hallway. His appearance was as scruffy and ill-kempt as ever. He was still wearing that grubby shirt, and he looked desperately in need of a shower. Her hair was greasy and lank, plastered against his head. He ambled toward Yuna, oozing arrogance and hate. Her heart rate spiked.

"Where's my father?" She stammered, her mouth so dry she could hardly form the words.

"First things first, bitch," The bandit sneered, coming to a halt in front of her. She could practically taste his contempt. And from nowhere he lashed out, delivering a swift punch to her gut. Yuna clutched her abdomen and collapsed to the floor, the wind knocked from her.

"That's for last time, you fucking bitch!" He screamed.

"Yusei," Ryuuji frowned. "That's enough."

He paused.

"The bitch deserves it!" he gloated to Ryuuji.

"Take this woman back to the hideout," he told him. "I'll catch up with you shortly."

The large bandit's eyes flickered from Yuna back to Ryuuji and gave an exasperated, "Tch..." before slinging her unconcious mother over his shoulder.

"No!"

Yuna launched herself at Yusei, carbon infused fist poised for attack, when she saw Ryuuji making the hand sign for an paralysis jutsu. She moved to strike him in the face and prematurely end his attack but it was too late; she was caught in his jutsu and her mother had vanished right before her eyes.

"So much spirit," Ryuuji chuckled, his tone dark and dangerous as he advanced towards her. Yuna tried to deliver a blow that probably would have shattered his jaw if it had connected as intended, but it was incredibly difficult when she felt as she was being restrained by invisible steel ropes.

"I'm going to fucking kill you." The kunoichi ground out between gritted teeth. It was pathetic how easily she'd been beaten, but she should have known he was out of her league.

Ryuuji smiled, shaking his head as he clucked his tongue disapprovingly.

"Not today my dear. I'm afraid you've lost this battle."

Yuna only continued to glare hatefully, her limbs completely useless, and no amount of willpower would force them to move even an inch.

"I must say, you look just like your mother." He stepped back, and began to circle, casually, as if he were trying to get a better view of a statue in a museum. "The resemblance is almost uncanny. You even have her fiery spirit."

Bastard," she seethed.

Ryuuji only seemed amused by her insult, smirking as he reached out and lifted a lock of her hair and sniffed at it delicately. Then he gently patted the strand back into place, and she felt his cool fingertips against her throat. He reached up to stroke her cheek once quickly with his thumb, his face curious.

"Give her back," she snarled. "It's me you wanted, remember? Take me. Just let my mother go."

"You really are a kind child," he said as he dropped his hand, "Your parents raised you well." He sighed. "But I'm afraid I can't do that. I have plans for her. She'll be my next test subject. Shinobi corpses can endure more than a civilian's. As for you, I'd say I hit the jackpot; a little twofer."

"You won't get away with this."

"And why not?" Ryuuji's smile widened. She felt a curl of nausea in the pit of her stomach as he spoke. "No one will find your body, you'll simply go missing, like so many, many other shinobi. There's no reason for your Hokage to think of me, if he cares enough to investigate. This is nothing personal, let me assure you. Just power."

Rage boiled inside of the kunoichi as she tried to imbed her fist firmly into his smirking mouth, but all her efforts produced little more than a twitch.

Ryuuji shook his head, his face kind. "Look at it this way, Yuna. You're very lucky I was the one to kill you."

"Am I?"

"Yes," he assured her. "Being resented by your own clan as if you were nothing but mere trash; it must've been hard on you. But now...now you get to be a part of something magnificent by becoming a part of me. And who knows, maybe once this is all over and I feel generous enough, I'll kill each and every one of them in your name."

A single tear escaped, sliding down her cheek.

"Shh, don't cry." He said, wiping her tears away. "I'll be very quick. You won't feel a thing, I promise."

She stared at him in horror.

Activating his single Byakugan, Ryuuji tugged her chin, and ran his index finger down the front of her blouse, down her sternum, between her breasts, down her stomach, and over her belly.

She was definitely sick now. There was pain coming, she could see it in his eyes. There would be no quick end like she'd been counting on. She began to tremble.

"A...taru…"

Right on cue the door bursted open, and Ataru was standing in the doorway.

Immediately, Yuna was able to move again, but when she tried to straighten, her knees buckled.

Glancing at her briefly, Ataru's eyes swept over her from head to toe, and she noticed the small spark of relief in his look. But his relief was fleeting as his gaze darted to Ryuuji and stilled, focusing on him, not wavering in the slightest. He glared at him with an intensity she had not seen before, his eyes wild, wide, angry, and scared.

"Yuna, get behind me," Ataru commanded. "Hurry!"

"Dad," she whispered.

"Work." He responded matter-of-factly, his eyes never leaving Ryuuji.

Work. Not here. Dad's okay. Relief flooded hard and fast through her blood, and for a moment she thought she was going to faint.

"Yuna," he prompted.

Yuna struggled to her feet and quickly made her way towards Ataru. He grasped her hand positioned his body in front of hers a fraction. Instinctively, she turned toward him, her chest against his arm as if seeking his protection. And right now, she felt an overwhelming and very present need to be protected.

Ryuuji cocked his head to the side, a smirk playing at his lips. "Well this is certainly unexpected. Goichi never mentioned anything about a sibling."

"Who sent you?" Ataru said sternly. "Did the Katayama clan put you up to this?"

"I came here of my own volition." Ryuuji answered, crossing his arms as if the two shinobi posed little threat to him. "A few weeks back I ran into this little prize. I wasn't aware there were any Hoga's still alive, I'd thought they'd all been wiped out. I wanted to sell her underground but she declined."

Ataru tightened his grip, and she sighed, her entire being relieved to have him near, no matter how angry he was. She chanced a look into his eyes. He cast her an emotionless look. She weakened against him, apologizing without words.

"I see," he said in a low tone.

"However, my desires have changed. I don't intend to sell her anymore. In fact, I want her all to myself. I want her to become a part of me."

"So I take it that's where those devices attached to your body come into play?"

"You're very bright, boy." He said. "Yes, as long as I have this, I can instantly and effortlessly acquire true power."

"Simply put, you're a coward who relies on stealing others abilities," Ataru said. "You're just being controlled by tools. That's not true power at all."

"Not true power? Well then, perhaps you should experience it for yourself." Ryuuji smirked, before making a few quick hand signs and summoning chakra into the tools attached to his body.

Both Yuna and Ataru eyes widened as Ryuuji gathered fire and wind chakra around his thumb and middle finger. Snapping his fingers, he launched a giant blast of fire at them.

"Yuna, carbon dome, now!" Ataru barked over his shoulder.

Yuna hesitated a moment before making the hand signs for the carbon jutsu she knew so well. She just prayed it would form in time before they were both burned alive.

"It's futile," Ryuuji said, laughing darkly.

 _He's right. There's not enough time!_ Yuna thought through gritted teeth.

She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for Ryuuji's attack. But it never came. Hesitantly, she cracked an eye open, unable to believe who was standing in front her. He was here.

"Boruto!"

Gripping his right wrist with his left hand, Boruto activated his Kāma on the palm of his right hand, spreading the seal across the right half of his face, chest, and arm, glowing blue upon activation, and absorbed Ryuuji's attack until it was no more.

His breathing was ragged and harsh, whereas hers was almost nonexistent as she desperately scrambled around her psyche looking for some internal strength.

"W-what just happened?" Yuna stammered.

"He absorbed that guy's attack and protected us," Ataru answered slowly.

"I'm impressed," Ryuuji said. "But then again, you're a member of Kara after all."

Boruto scoffed. "Don't lump me in with those fools." He said. "As for Kara, they were disbanded months ago."

"Oh? I've heard rumors, but nothing more. So was it you who took down their organization? If so, that's quite an accomplishment. You have my sincere thanks. They were such a troublesome bunch."

"Where did you get that eye?" Boruto said sternly, ignoring Ryuuji's almost jovial remarks.

The man only smirked knowingly.

"It's amazing what you can scrounge up at a village that's in shambles. I suppose I have you to thank for that."

Boruto tensed ever so slightly, pausing for just the briefest of moments as his opponent's comment cut him deep.

Though his wince was slight, Ryuuji saw it, his features twisting into a cruel smirk.

"Seriously, if it wasn't for you I would've never been able to complete my latest invention. All those innocent people lifeless and I happen to stumble across a Hyūga clinging to his pathetic life among them. Lucky."

The jeering words were too much for Boruto. Red seeped over his vision as he remembered seeing the casualties left after his battle with Kawaki. With a cry of anger he drew the kunai from his pouch and threw it, aiming for his opponent's head, but his anger made him impulsive and reckless and his weapon missed its mark. That hardly seemed to matter however when Boruto vaulted the table and rushed his enemy. Ryuuji sprang away, laughing darkly at having evoked such a response in the stoic ninja.

"Temper, temper. Don't go getting all pissy on me." he sneered, dodging a punch from the Konoha shinobi before spinning to block a kunai with one of his own.

Metal ground against metal as Boruto rasped out, "That eye doesn't belong to you. It belongs to the Hyūga Clan."

The man laughed again, warm and carefree, his mismatched eyes staring into his opponents. They were dangerous and a little wild but held a sharp sort of intelligence in them, a deadly combination.

They broke apart, poised to strike again.

"Sorry," he chuckled. "But I have no intention of returning it."

With a flick of his wrist, a kunai whizzed through the air, embedding itself deep in the flesh of Ataru's right thigh. It wasn't a killing blow, but as Boruto's gaze shifted to Ataru, Ryuuji turned and fled into the woods.

Yuna knew she should tend to Ataru. But he was a medic after all, and she couldn't stand by and watch Ryuuji escape without knowing the whereabouts of her mother. She quickly grabbed her sandals and slipped them on, and began to follow him as fast as her limbs would carry her, bounding into the trees and leaping from branch to branch. She had to catch him, she had too!

Raising her thumb to her lips, she bit hard enough to break the skin before making a few quick hand signs. She slammed her palm down on a passing tree trunk and with a large poof of white smoke, her three trusted felines appeared.

"It's been a while, Yuna." Kenta, the silvery-grey cougar said beside her.

Hina, the bobcat sprung into the air from a moss covered branch and moved to her left side. "I'll say," she muttered. "How come you summon Tama but not us? You even went as far as to get her a present. Rude."

"I told you they would get jealous, Yuna." Tama smirked.

"Now's not the time for this," Yuna said seriously. "I need you three to get to work right away."

"It's not like you to be this serious. Did something happen?" Kenta asked, his green eyes narrowing at her.

"Mom was taken."

The three cats gasped.

"By whom?" Hina asked angrily.

"He's up ahead and he's moving fast," Yuna said. "Mom's scent is still on him. Find out where he's headed. Go!"

"We're on it!" Kenta and Hina said in unison before running ahead and leaving Yuna and Tama alone.

"Yuna?" Tama said worriedly.

The kunoichi shook her head, sending black bangs into downcast eyes. "Tama...please."

The carcal nodded. "We'll get in contact with you as soon as we find out."

_I'm counting on you._

Yuna pursued him until her lungs burned and she couldn't gulp in oxygen fast enough, but no matter how hard she ran, Ryuuji's form kept growing smaller and smaller ahead of her, until she couldn't even see him in the dappled light of the forest canopy, but still she ran on, forcing her legs to work until her muscles screamed.

She couldn't sense his chakra, couldn't tell which way he had gone, but she kept on running, thinking that even if there was the smallest chance of finding him, she would take it.

Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision and making bounding through the trees increasingly difficult until she lost her footing on a slippery branch and she toppled forward towards the forest floor below.

She tried to twist her body around so she would land on her feet but she had become slightly disoriented, not quite knowing which was up and was well on her way to falling flat on her back. She would have been in for a nasty spill if two strong arms hadn't caught her effortlessly.

Teal eyes blinked in surprise as she found herself safely cradled against Boruto's chest, one arm supporting her behind her bent knees and the other around her shoulders. She couldn't remember being saved like this since she was a mere Genin.

"Are you all right?" he asked with genuine concern, knowing Yuna was far too skilled to be making such a trivial mistake.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she huffed, raising her gaze to meet his blue ones only to be met with a pair of mismatched eyes; a dōjutsu blue in colour with a darkened sclera and visible pupil. "Your eye!"

"It's nothing," he said, as he gently set her down on her own two feet.

She lifted her hand, and for a moment Boruto didn't know what she was going to do. But she placed her fingers on his cheek and gently traced the raised scar below his eye with awed fascination. The darkness that had been trapped within him for months melted into oblivion and he closed his eyes, feeling her gentle fingertips on him.

Just then, a distant voice called her name, a voice that he recognized. The moment between them was broken as Ataru appeared through the trees. He was walking toward them in determined strides. His gaze was steady on her, his jaw set tight, as tight as his fists at his sides.

"Uh-oh," Yuna murmured.

"Do you have any idea how fucking  _stupid_  it was for you to chase after him alone?"

"I'm fine," she insisted, though her body was still riddled with anxiety over the past several minutes.

"Why? Why do you think one girl like you can take on a guy like  _that_?"

"This has nothing to do with being a guy or girl." She said. "At that point in time, I didn't have time to think about-"

"Think about it a little, idiot!" he yelled. "You're a girl!"

"Hey man, ease up." Boruto said. "I was right behind her the whole time."

Ataru snapped to face Boruto, his jaw twitching. "This is all your fault."

"What?" The whiskered teen said incredulously. "How was any of this my fault?"

"If you hadn't intervened the other day none of this would've happened!" He yelled.

"Boruto, what is he talking about?" She asked, looking confused.

"Go on. Tell her. Tell her how you're responsible for our mother being taken." Ataru said coolly, never letting his frosty stare waver.

Boruto felt his jaw clench in anger. He was standing there with an expression that was entirely too smug. The sight of him made his blood boil and if he didn't control his chakra, he was sure he would fill the area with overwhelming waves of murderous intent.

Taking a deep breath to keep his composure from cracking completely, he said, "That day at the convenience store, I caught Ataru following you. I might've confronted him and told him to back off."

Yuna frowned and turned to look at Ataru.

"What? Why were you following me?"

"A few days after you returned to the village from that mission with Boruto, I noticed you were being followed." He answered. "I was being cautious and watching his movements, that's all. After Boruto had stopped me, I lost track of him."

Boruto bristled, refusing to let him stand there and hurl accusations at him when he was not the only one at fault.

"Don't pin this all on me," he spat. "If you knew she was being followed why didn't you report it to the Hokage?"

Yuna took a tentative step forward, not entirely comfortable with physically coming between them right now. With all the emotions flying around, she didn't trust that she wouldn't get hurt in the fray.

"Wasn't that you're job? You told me not to follow her, so I figured you had everything under control."

She rubbed at her temples, trying to stave off the headache that was rapidly forming. "God, just stop, both of you."

"How the hell was I supposed to know? If I knew she was being followed I would've handled it. At the time the only problem I saw was  _you_! Is your life so miserable that you have to constantly follow her around like some lost puppy?"

Ataru shoved Boruto then, his slightly shorter frame hitting the tree behind him. Boruto reacted immediately, throwing a punch that Ataru narrowly avoided. The two men skirmished. They pushed and pulled until she was certain they'd tear each other apart if she stood idly by. She was desperate to make them stop.

"Please stop!" she yelled.

Boruto shoved Ataru off, and for the moment he kept a distance, as they both heaved for air, eyes wild with fury.

"We don't have time for this, we just...don't." She was suddenly aware of her heart beating, well actually it was thumping and she could feel herself beginning to sweat a little. "Now is…not the time for...us…"

"Yuna?" Ataru looked at her worriedly. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Her head began to swim, oh no...and she could feel the ground coming up to meet her face, or so it felt. The last thing she heard before she passed out in Ataru's arms was his harsh epithet.

"Fuck!"

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna jolted awake, eyes wide as the now bright room came into focus. Her heart was beating too fast, as if some latent panic still lingered with her quickly followed by a dull throbbing in her head. "Where am I?" She rubbed her temples and willed the pain away.

"You're awake," her father said beside her.

"Dad?" She mumbled sleepily,

She closed her eyes and reached for the memories. Everything was so blurry, but slowly, like the room, the last memories of her conscious mind came into focus.

"Mom!" she cried as she quickly sat up and then cursed her own stupidity at moving.

"Easy," her father said softly. "Ataru and the others have already been dispatched to retrieve your mother."

"What?!" She cried, kicking off the sheet. "Tama found him? Where did they go? How long ago did they leave?"

"They'll handle it, Yuna." Her father reassured. "Right now you're under orders to stay here in the village."

"Like hell I'm going to stay here while that maniac has my mother,  _your_  wife!"

Jumping off the bed, she headed for the door only to be greeted by an Anbu black-op. She took a step back and gritted her teeth.

"Yuna Katayama, I'm sorry, but I cannot let you pass." the anonymous man said from behind the red and white bird mask. "Please go back to that room."

"This is such bullshit," she hissed. "I want to speak to the Hokage."

"Yuna," her father said. "Sit down."

Reluctantly, she turned and fixed her father with a glare.

"How can you be so calm?" Yuna said. "Mom is out there somewhere with that  _freak_. There's no telling what he's doing to her right now as we speak."

"I'm just as worried as you are."

"You can at least show it!" she said angrily, voice rising loud enough to be heard by possible patients in adjacent rooms.

"I know you're worried. But right now all we can do is put our faith in Ataru and the others."

She took a seat beside her father on the bed and clasped her hands together. "I should be out there helping."

"Even if you were allowed to assist, you have no idea where they're heading."

"Actually, I think I can help with that." The masculine voice said behind them, a voice Yuna clearly recognized.

Both father and daughter turned their heads to find Boruto crouched on the window sill behind them.

"Boruto-kun…"

Boruto stepped into the room and handed her a small device.

"What's this?"

"I planted a tracker on Konohamaru-sensei before they left," he said. "We can use this terminal to follow the signal."

"You're amazing, Boruto-kun!" She breathed in delight. "But how do you suggest we bypass the Anbu?"

"Just leave that to me."

"Let me guess, that eye of yours?"

"Jōgan," he clarified. "And yes, with it I can get us to your mother."

"Woah, woah, woah. You kids can't be serious. You can't leave."

"He's right. Leaving this village without permission has serious consequences, ya know." A new voice said and all heads turned to find the Hokage entering the room.

"Lord Seventh…" Her father said.

"You're in no condition to be out there, Boruto. I can't afford for you to freeze up again on the field and risk the others or you getting hurt in the process." The Hokage said before shifting his attention to Yuna. "And this Ryuuji guy is banking on you to be there. The best thing for the both of you is to just sit tight and wait for the others to deal with the situation."

Yuna shook her head at him. "I can't just sit here and wait for him to kill my mother. I won't. Not when she needs me the most right now."

"Yuna," the Hokage said sincerely.

"Why? Why won't you let me?" She balled her fists in anger, nails biting into her palms hard enough to draw blood. "I figured you of all people would understand how I feel."

The Hokage's eyes widened slightly.

"I've heard many stories about you from the Kazekage," she said quietly. "He'd once told me that the two of you battled against one another. He was intent on taking away those precious to you. When you'd defeated him, you'd told him that you would anything to protect them, even if meant killing him."

"My mother is one of the many people who are precious to me," she continued. "And like you, I will take many risks when it comes to those I love. So I am begging you, please, let me go."

Her angry tirade was what Naruto needed to hear. He knew of this child's adoration for her family, comrades and this village. She was no different from him, and when combined with the fact that their current mission really did depend on this, he found he had little choice.

He gave a quiet nod, calm even in the face of her breathless rage.

"Alright Yuna, you can go."

"And furthermore, I'm sick and tired of…wait, what?"

It took the kunoichi a moment to register his words, and even then she wasn't sure she had heard correctly.

"You can go Yuna," Naruto affirmed with a small smile.

At first Yuna just stared at him blankly, rage evaporating instantly as the reality of what he had just agreed to sank in.

"Oh…um…ok."

"Yuna, the will of fire has been passed on to you," he said and placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "Follow your Ninja Way and do what you need to." He turned his attention back to Boruto.

"Even if I tried to stop you, you'd go anyway."

"Pretty much," Boruto replied with a shrug.

"Then I guess all I can do is let you go." His father said before walking toward him. "But! This is your last chance. Freeze up again out there and I'll have your time extended."

Boruto casted his eyes downwards to the tiled floor.

"Got that?"

Boruto closed his eyes for a brief second before meeting his father's gaze once more. "That's fine. I'll prove to you that I can do this. If not, you can do whatever you please."

"Alright. There's no going back on your word."

"Yeah, yeah," he said with a wave of his hand, and headed for the door, the Hokage following behind, leaving Yuna and her father alone.

"Daddy…" she said quietly, her teal gaze meeting his brown ones.

"It's okay," he whispered. The worryness in his voice tore at her heart. "I understand."

"Please don't be upset at me."

"I'm not."

She kissed him on the cheek and wrapped her arms around his figure. She felt his hand graze her back.

"Are you… okay?" he asked her.

"No," she admitted, feeling the tears start to come. "I'm not okay at all."

He gave a ghostly smile. "Did I ever tell you that I think you're beautiful?"

"Yeah," she said, sniffling. "You've told me."

"Well, this time I mean it."

She laughed helplessly through her tears. "Thanks," she said. She reached for his hand and kissed it.

"Do you remember when you were little?" he asked, suddenly serious. "You used to watch me train outside for hours. One day, I found you sitting in the backyard using a technique you had watch me used. You were only four years old. You always had so much talent."

"I remember," she said.

"I want you to know something," her dad said, gripping her hand with surprising force. "No matter how bright your star became, I never cared about the clan half as much as I cared about you as a daughter…I want you to know that."

She nodded. "I believe you. And I love you, too, Dad."

He took a long breath, his eyes never leaving hers. "I'll leave your mother in your hands, Yuna."

The words struck her with their full weight, unavoidable and direct. And in that instant, she remembered everything about the last several years. Images raced through her mind, one after the next, stopping only when she saw her mother sitting in her garden, beneath the large shade tree with her father.

And it was then that she knew what her heart had been telling her to do all along.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Boruto was leaning casually up against the wall just outside the door when she arrived. In his hand was her weapons pouch, he tossed to her as she approached.

"Ready?" he asked.

Yuna merely nodded, and together the two started down the hallway in silence. Her hands were curled into tight fists at her sides. As they were about to turn the corner, she was jerked sideways. With a firm grip of her arm, Boruto pulled her into a nearby storage closet. Her back hit the door moments after it closed behind them. She looked up into his blue eyes with confusion.

"What are you doing? We don't have time for this." she said. Though she could hear the sharpness in her tone, she couldn't help it.

"Let it out."

"Boruto, I really can't do this right now." She squeezed the bridge of her nose, trying to stifle her tears.

"You need to let it out now before we leave or you won't stay focused."

"What do you want me to say? That I'm pissed?" Her heart suddenly felt as if it were going to explode. "That I feel sick knowing that one person I love with all my heart is in life threatening danger? That I'm scared out of my mind? What do you want to hear?!"

She looked so small and frail despite the fact that she was quite a formidable shinobi.

"I didn't tell them about Ryuuji. I didn't want them to worry. But maybe if I had said something, she might not have gotten taken. It was my fault this happened. It was me!"

Tears fell from her eyes, cutting wet trails down her cheeks. Unsure of what to do, Boruto tentatively slipped his arms around her with uncharacteristic awkwardness. Even if it was a little strange, the feeling of her against him was rather nice.

"It's not your fault."

Her tears fell harder at those four words, and she finally collapsed into him. And for a long time, she let him hold her as she cried.

**A/N: Okay, so we've yet to learn more about Boruto's amaaazing Jōgan. So I'm just guessing here. Don't hate. It's a fanfic. Ha-ha. (But seriously, I really do think it will have some space-time ability there.) Reviews, pretty please? :)**


	10. CHAPTER TEN

**A/N: Woo-hoo. Another chapter done and out! This is a super duper, long chapter that consists of 22 pages. Thanks to all those who reviewed/favorited/followed Mine to Take. Things will officially start to pick up after this chapter, so I'm excited. Drop a review, let me know what ya think! Appreciate each and every one of you.**

**CHAPTER TEN**

Yuna landed silently on a tree branch in a soft crouch. She could see Ryuuji's hideout in a clearing up ahead, despite the darkness of the moonless night, and her heartbeat quickened at the thought of being so close to her mother once again. They found the location with little difficulty although it was far from Konoha's borders.

"Konohamaru-sensei and the others should be arriving any moment," Boruto said quietly. "What's the plan?"

"The longer we wait the less time mom has," she said. "If you're up for it, I say we just go in and start kicking some ass. Sensei and the others can just catch up."

"Sounds fun," Boruto said, a slight smirk on his lips. "But we need to be cautious of any traps that might be set."

"Of course," she smirked. "That's where I come in."

Yuna made a single hand sign before holding out her hands to Boruto. "Take my hands."

He arched a brow in confusion.

"Trust me," she spoke quietly.

Boruto placed his hands in her small ones and suddenly black liquid emerged from the earth beneath their feet and bonding to their body like armor. "Carbon armor," her smiled widened. "This defense cannot be breached by any attack, giving us protection from all attacks, regardless of types, magnitude and directions; thus, we are immune to any/all kind of damage not to mention it doesn't hinder our speed or mobility."

_Amazing…_

Keeping their guard up, Yuna and Boruto leapt from branch to branch, closing in on their destination without making a sound until they came to the clearing where the structure sat and could no longer use the trees as cover.

Dropping to the ground, they used the thick foliage to hide in as they circled Ryuuji's stronghold, looking for an entrance into the building that would allow them more stealth than the front door.

They finally found what they were looking for, a small door so well disguised that an untrained eye would have missed it. With a teleportation jutsu, they were beside the door in a second and tried to pull open the door.

Locked.

Keeping to the shadows, Boruto focused chakra to his fingers and placed them over the keyhole. Probing with his body's energy, he was able to reach deep within the mechanism and trigger it, releasing the bolt and allowing them inside.

As she shut the door behind them, Yuna was grateful Ryuuji didn't fortify his doors with bars or dead bolts, otherwise entry would not have been so easy. Yet at the same time, she somehow felt uneasy about how simple it had been to penetrate Ryuuji's defenses. Was he really so cocky that he hardly bothered to fortify his base of operations? Then again, she supposed someone like him would get few visitors that were an actual threat.

The two slowly made their way down long stone corridors which were nearly as dark as the black night outside. They soon found themselves in a labyrinth of twists and turns and was quickly losing their bearings as they made their way deeper into the maze. The complex certainly hadn't looked this big from the outside, but soon it became apparent that the halls were sloping downwards. This place could be immense if half of it was underground.

Fifteen minutes later, they were lost and no closer to finding her mother. She couldn't even send out chakra waves to search for her for fear of being detected. It was essential that she find her mother before Ryuuji found them.

The two shinobi rounded another corner only to come face to face with a wall. A dead end.

Yuna growled in frustration as she pushed a stay wisp of black hair from her eyes. She had heard of this practice used, building a facility into such a complicated maze that any intruder would surely lose their way, but had never actually seen it before. Now she felt rather foolish coming all this way with very little knowledge to go on. She ran her fingers over the cold gray stone and tried to think positive about the situation she was in.

They were just about to back up and prepare to turn around and try a different direction, when they heard the sound of soft footsteps. They were too light to be male. More than likely, they probably belonged to that of a woman or even an older child.

Ducking around the corner of the wall, Yuna and Boruto crouched down, hiding their chakra and holding their breath as they waited for the person approaching to come into view.

A moment later, a brunette woman rounded the corner. She was quite pretty and about their age, but Boruto could tell immediately there was something peculiar about her. Her gait was consistent, almost mechanical as she walked past their hiding place without paying them any notice as she passed.

The shinobi detected no chakra in her and guessed her to be a civilian, but he crept up behind her with kunai drawn just in case. In one quick movement he had her pressed up against the wall, her face to the smooth plaster and his front to her back. One hand was over her mouth in case she tried to scream and the deadly point of his weapon was poised just above the flesh of her throat, letting her know that any abrupt movements could be her last.

"I'm not going to hurt you if you tell me what I want to know," Boruto growled softly, keeping his voice low so as not to be detected but menacing enough to show her he was serious. "A woman with black hair was brought to this hideout. We need to find her quickly. Tell me where she is."

He removed his hand from her mouth so she could reply, but they received no response.

"Answer me," Boruto hissed, pushing her against the wall roughly. "This weapon isn't for show. I'll use it if I have to. Tell me where she is!"

Despite his threats and rough handling, she didn't even flinch, and her response was exactly the same as before, nothing.

"What's wrong with her?" Yuna asked, worriedly.

Boruto frowned in confusion. She seemed completely unaffected by the danger she was in. He could feel her pulse beneath his fingers, but it was steady and slow, as was her breathing. Both should have been racing thanks to the adrenaline spike of being surprised by him, but she hadn't even gasped when he had grabbed her.

Pulling away from her slightly, he flipped her around so that her back was now pressed to the wall. It suddenly seemed very important to Boruto to look at this girl's face, and what he saw drove the breath from his lungs.

The girl's pretty face was set in a blank expression, emotionless even in the face of danger, and her eyes-big brown eyes that should have been expressive and beautiful-were glazed and dull, revealing that while her body lived, she was dead inside. This was not a normal girl before him but a walking corpse. Her eyes were identical to those he had seen on the faces of the dead, unseeing and lifeless.

"Oh, God."

Yuna stared at Boruto, her hand cupped over her mouth. Is this what her mother would become if they failed to find her? All of her life and vitality, the fire and spirit...the very thing that made her who she was...would be gone? She could be lifeless as the girl before them, a soulless puppet with black hair and dead, teal eyes.

Tears stung her eyes, her throat thick with pent up emotion.

Knowing that the girl would be of no use, Boruto knocked her out. He moved towards Yuna and stood in front of her.

"Do you think he's going to do that to mom? What if-"

"Stop," he said and placed both his hands on her shoulders. "We'll find her. I promise. But right now I need you to calm down and focus, okay?"

Reluctantly, she nodded and the two turned and fled down the hall, searching for her mother with renewed urgency as the burnett's lifeless eyes replayed over and over in her head.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna growled in frustration. This place was so damn huge that she was beginning to think they would never find her mother. All they had gained from their methodical searching of room after room was a greater feeling of disgust towards Ryuuji. His nightmarish labyrinth was bad enough, but they had run into three more civilians, all devoid of any vitality, any life.

They were all soulless puppets who didn't so much as gasp in alarm when they cornered them and asked where her mother was.

They were just about to search a different direction of the hideout, when they heard a feminine cry echo down the hallway. It was distant, but perhaps it could lead them to her mother.

They moved quickly and silently. They heard the voice again and followed it, afraid that her mother was crying out in pain, calling for help, and Yuna prayed she wasn't too late.

The cries led them to a hall where a large set of double doors at the end was left ajar. The door swung inward on oiled hinges, granting Yuna and Boruto a repulsive view of what was going on inside.

At one end of the giant room, was a large holding cell about seven feet deep and thirty feet long. Two rows of bunks, one on the top and one on the bottom, hung from the wall for a total of eight. A single commode stood at one end, covered in stains and lumpy smears. Six adults and two young children, one of which Yusei was dragging out by his upper arm despite the woman's pleas for him to stop. The display was appalling. Forgoing stealth and protocol, Yuna burst through the doors.

"You fucking scum," the kunoichi seethed, teal eyes ablaze with black fire.

Yusei shoved the child back into the holding cell and locked it before turning to find Yuna standing in the doorway and gave her a Cheshire cat grin. "I knew it was a matter of time before you came barging in. And look, you even brought your boyfriend with you this time!" He lunged toward them. "I still owe you for the shoulder wound you little shit!"

Boruto already had his katana halfway unsheathed, preparing to engage the brute in combat, but Yuna was quicker, clapping her hands together and drawing the carbon attached to their bodies and kneading it with her hands.

With a flick of her wrist she threw it at Yusei, who was still charging at them. Even at the distance across the room, the look of shock on his face as the carbon wrapped around him was comical.

He struggled for several seconds in an attempt to free himself.

"You can struggle all you want but you'd just be wasting your time and energy. That's carbon you're currently restrained with and the only way you can get out of that jutsu is if I release it."

"That was a dirty trick you harlot," he said through gritted teeth.

"Where is she?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Don't fuck around with me," she growled. "I know what you sick freaks been up to. You're kidnapping innocent people and turning them into these soulless puppets. Why? For what purpose?"

"Because, there's a high demand for bodyguards for those running underground operations, a bodyguard they can completely control; one that will give their life without a second thought. Who would be better for the job than a shinobi?"

"These people are not shinobi, they're civilians!"

"What can I say, gotta start off somewhere. Besides, they're homeless, orphans, nobody misses them. It's not a bad set up at all."

Yuna said nothing for a moment, her face tilted downwards so her fringe of black bangs covered her eyes, making her expression unreadable. And then suddenly, with a mere hand sign, Boruto watched as carbon bubbled from the ground and slowly inched its way up Yusei's body towards his face.

"Not missed? Not a bad setup? These are innocent people you're taking advantage of," Yuna spat, disgusted with the whole prospect. "You took away their rights, experimented on them and unlawfully sold them!"

"What we do with test subjects is our business."

"My mother is not your test subject," she snarled, her voice low and dark with anger. "If you don't tell me where she is I will personally make you suffer a slow and torturous death."

Yusei chuckled. "You don't have the stomach for it. Now let me go!"

"You know nothing about me." She drew her hand to her chest and slowly the carbon moved its way up and into his nostril. Yusei groaned, trying hard to squirm away. He could feel the carbon pass through his nostril, throat, esophagus and slowly make its way down into his stomach. He began to cough, sickness brewing in his gut.

"Yuna…" Boruto said warily.

She ignored him and continued. "At this rate, you will suffocate to death. I want to be a great kunoichi." she said. "I would like to avoid something so cruel if possible."

With tear filled eyes, Yusei's resolve crumbled and turned his gaze to the door at the other side of the room.

"I see," she said, her voice even, calm and strangely monotonous. She released the jutsu, extracting the carbon from Yusei's body. The relief came down on him like a hammer.

The only sound that followed was the soft thump of Yuna's hand connecting with the back of Yusei's head, rendering the man instantly unconscious.

Yuna was about to head for the door when one of Ryuuji's captives stopped her.

"Hey, where are you going? Aren't you going to help us out of here?"

"A second team was dispatched and will arrive shortly," Boruto answered. "In the meantime you all are to wait here."

The man leaned against the bars, holding them tightly with his hands and cried, "Don't leave us in here!"

Yuna hesitated a moment, torn as to what to do, but then she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

"We came here for your mother. Every second that passes could be her last. Konohamaru-sensei and the others will be here soon; let them tend to them."

As much as she hated herself for it, Yuna nodded and headed door that no doubt led to where her mother was being kept.

She reached out, fingers wrapping around the iron handle, and pulled the heavy door open.

Bright fluorescent light streamed into the dim room, revealing a room full of bubbling beakers and trays of clean, sharp surgical equipment. Yuna's stomach turned at the thought of such instruments being used on her mother. The place was like a twisted mix of both a hospital and the laboratory of crazed scientist.

Her eyes fell immediately to the patch of black at the far end of the room and the sight made her chest constrict painfully.

She had found her mother alright, but it appeared that she was too late.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna took in the scene before her: tables full of sharpened medical instruments and beakers full of assorted liquids were arranged in the center of the room. A dark haired man in a lab coat hovered over some cots at the far end of the room but it was what was on the cot that really had Yuna's attention.

Her mother lay motionless, with an IV piercing her arm, but rather than a clear solution, something far more sinister was being pumped into her veins. The liquid was a soft shimmering green, no doubt liquid chakra somehow condensed down and mixed with other chemicals.

Seeing her like that, helpless when she was normally so strong and capable, only threw wood on the fire of her already burning rage.

She stormed into the room with only one thought. She had to get that needle out of her mother's arm and get her out of here.

The man in the lab coat turned as he finished his inspection, only to come face to face with the furious kunoichi. His eyes bulged behind the magnifying lenses of his glasses as he gasped in surprise.

"Who are you?" the doctor whimpered, voice growing high and thin with panic. He had nowhere to run with the two shinobi standing between him and the door and his eyes darted around nervously as he searched for a way out.

"I'm the girl you don't want to piss off," Yuna seethed, advancing slowly on the frightened man. "And since you've gotten my mother involved in your sick experiments, I'm feeling pretty pissed off."

Her prey made a pitiful attempt to grab at scalpel on a nearby tray, but Yuna easily grabbed his wrist painfully tight.

"Someone! Help me!" he wailed, squirming futilely in the shinobi's grasp.

Yuna's grip changed from the doctor's wrist to his throat as she slammed him up against the wall with one hand.

"If you're calling for Yusei, he's a little indisposed at the moment."

"You little-"

Yuna stopped him short by tightening her grip on his throat. The kunoichi was barely containing her rage, resisting tearing this man's heart right out of his chest only because the deranged doctor still had information to give. As soon as Yuna found out what she needed to know, the man was as good as dead.

She drew the kunai from her pouch, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she pressed the blade to the doctor's throat. The man began to wheeze and whimper, eyes wide behind glass lenses as he stuttered out pleas for his life to be spared.

Ignoring his pathetic sniveling, Yuna spoke, voice cold and hard but trembling every so slightly with the anger that was threatening to boil over. "You are going to get that IV out of my mother right now and begin the treatment that reverses whatever sick thing you're doing to her."

The doctor's eyes darted toward the cot where the unconscious woman lay. "B-but...there is n-no treatment. The process is p-permanent."

The whimpering man suddenly doubled over as Yuna punched him hard in the gut. He gasped and choked as he tried to recover from having the wind so violently knocked out of him, but Yuna soon had him by the throat again and slammed him back up against the wall.

"Don't fuck with me!" the kunoichi hissed venomously, her teal eyes burning with furious flames. "I'll spill your guts all over the floor right fucking now if you don't come up with an antidote for your twisted little treatment."

Until now, the doctor had been avoiding looking directly into Yuna's gaze, no doubt frightened by the wild ferocity in her eyes. But now he looked his captor straight in the face, voice high and thin and desperate as he cried out hysterically. "The chakra infusion into the bloodstream is non-reversible! Once the process is complete and the program implanted, the old information-the personality-is erased! There's no way to get it back!"

It felt like a cold stone had dropped into Yuna's gut. Erased? Then she was too late. Mom's personality had been wiped away like unwanted scribbles on a chalkboard. In its place, an unfeeling, non thinking imposter resided, having her mother's visage, but nothing more. The woman she loved was as good as dead.

Torn by emotions of heart wrenching grief and black anger, Yuna didn't say another word as she tightened her grip around her weapon to slit the doctor's throat. However, Boruto's voice stopped her.

"Don't."

"Shut up, Boruto."

"If you kill him like this, you're no better than him."

Without lowering her weapon, she turned her gaze to Boruto. "No better than him? This...this...piece of shit deserves to die. He killed my mother!"

"Y-your mother is gone, but it wasn't my fault." The doctor stuttered. "It was Ryuuji! He made me do it! I didn't have a choice so you shouldn't be punishing me."

Boruto reached out, and she shifted from his grasp. "Don't take this path. It's one thing to defend yourself, but it's another to kill a defenseless man. Don't sink to his level."

Looking at the doctor's terrified face, revulsion pulsed through her veins. He didn't deserve to live. Not after all the horrible things he'd done. Reluctantly, she lowered her weapon to her side.

Tears pricked Yuna's eyes, threatening to fall, but the sudden presence of a strong and familiar chakra told her grieving would have to wait. She spun around, using the doctor's body as a shield the second she heard the high pitched sound of shuriken cutting through the air. Twin thumps told Yuna that both weapons had lodged themselves in the doctor's back, who was by now dead.

"Seto was always too quick to point the finger," a smooth voice chuckled as the lifeless body was dropped to the floor. "I would inquire as to how you found this place, but I think I already know the answer."

Standing before Yuna and Boruto with an arrogant smile was the man with mismatched eyes, the one they had spent the better part of the night trying to track down.

"Guess your quack doctor got what he deserved," Yuna growled, voice low and dangerous like a wild animal. "And you'll be next."

Their opponent's smirk stayed in place, amused by Yuna's confidence.

After a moment, Konohamaru sensei and Ataru joined them.

"I'll deal with you later," Ataru growled thrusting an angry finger at her face before turning his attention back to the woman that currently needed his help and asking Yuna dozens of questions pertaining to her condition and answering them as best she could.

How long had she been on the drug? Had she shown any signs of life since they arrived? Had she managed to learn what was in the drug they were being administered? Did Seto say anything about a remedy?

Yuna winced at the last question, but although she told him the doctor had claimed effects were irreversible, Ataru refused to accept that answer.

"Perhaps if the process is incomplete, there's a chance for recovery."

He pulled the IV needle from her vein, working as fast as he could. He slung their mother over his shoulder and looked over to Yuna. "Stay focused and don't do  _anything_ stupid."

She nodded mutely, signaling she understood and turned her focus back to her opponent as Ataru left the room

"You two have a lot of explaining to do," Konohamaru said.

Boruto rolled his eyes. "Relax sensei, we got permission before coming here."

"Even so, you should have joined up with the rest of team, not barging in without a sound plan."

"Can you save the berating for later," Boruto hissed. "Right now we have a much bigger problem at the moment.

"I can see that," Konohamaru said. "What's the situation?"

Boruto filled him in on everything that had happened as they watched their opponents movements. His sensei was disturbed by the story, but wasn't quite so vocal about it.

"Yuna and I can take on Ryuuji," Boruto said. "The others might need your help escorting the prisoners to safety."

"Boruto…"

"Sensei, we can handle this."

His eyes widen and for a second he hesitated, perhaps to consider his request.

"Okay," he said cautiously, then leaves the room.

Boruto turned his focus back to the enemy. He knew fighting in such a confined space would be difficult. He would have liked to lead his opponent into the more open area.

As if reading his thoughts, Ryuuji made a single hand and in an instant he forced the ceiling in the underground hideout to collapse, exposing the open air outside

"Let's take this outside, shall we?" he said, lunging toward the newly formed exit with his opponents following closely behind.

They squared off, three sets of feet digging into the sand as they settled into fighting stances. For a breathless moment the three figures were silent, muscles taut and ready as the water and grass rippled peacefully around them.

Yuna charged first in a blur of teal, her arm drawback to deliver a powerful punch but Ryuuji sidestepped with equal speed, delivering a kick to her back that sent her stumbling forward in the sand. She was quick to recover, springing away from Ryuuji's follow up attack towards the water's edge, feet digging into the wet sand as she watched his movements carefully.

He was in front of her, his covered face blank and unreadable, and then suddenly, he was behind her, moving so fast she had hardly registered the blur of motion, but her reflexes were still sharp enough to avoid his attack by launching herself straight into the arch, body twisting in a graceful backflip that carried her right over Ryuuji's head. She landed facing him in a crouch, sandaled feet resting on the water's surface. He was already coming at her with a kick aimed for her head but she was able to jerk to the side, his limb whizzing so close to her that the fabric of his pants grazed her ear.

Before he could pull back, she grabbed his leg with both hands, and swung him around and away from her. He slid backwards, a spray of water droplets shooting out from his sandaled feet as he faced her once again.

They both rushed forward, meeting in a clash of punches and blocks, some so powerful that small gusts of wind radiated outwards from the shock of the impact. They moved lightening quick, dancing over the surface of the lake, the ripples showing the path of where they had been when the eye could not follow fast enough.

They threw simultaneous punches, both of which were caught in the opposite palm of their opponent. They stood in a deadlock.

Suddenly, he let go of the chakra concentration on his feet, dropping him beneath the water's surface and pulled Yuna in after him. Yuna squeaked in surprise as she was suddenly immersed in frigid water, water seeping into her lungs. He still held tight to her hand but she drew her knees to her chest and kicked with all the force to could muster in the water's increased viscosity. She felt her feet connect and his grip on her release and she immediately swam for the surface, coughing and sputtering as she sucked in much needed oxygen.

She hastily climbed out of the water, the chakra on her feet and hands making it look like she was climbing out of a hole onto something solid. Her eyes scanned the surrounding area for any trace of Ryuuji but she couldn't feel his presence anywhere. He had to be below her in the water somewhere. She would just have to flush him out.

She drew a substantial amount of chakra into her hand and slammed her fist into the water's surface, releasing the energy in one explosive burst. The effect was like a meteor hitting the lake as water splashed out nearly thirty feet into the air and a gargantuan ripple bordering on a wave radiated outwards, splashing over the sand and into the grass.

She had expected to find Ryuuji hiding beneath the water's surface but there was nothing there, just water and rocks and some very surprised fish. She sprang away to avoid being swallowed up by the water that was closing in overhead since she had punched nearly to the lake's bottom. She came to rest on the turbulent surface, every muscle taut as she remained alert and waited for him. All around her water rained down in droplets and mist, obscuring her vision and making it impossible to hear anything else but water hitting water.

Suddenly, he was beside her, Yuna couldn't react fast enough as Ryuuji delivered a powerful kick to her ribs which sent her flying backwards. She managed to summon the chakra to her back and rear that kept her from sinking into the water, skittering instead over the surface, but the impact had knocked the wind out of her and she wheezed for a moment as she tried to suck air back into her lungs.

Boruto drew his katana as Ryuuji began advancing his teammate. The action caused his opponent to turn around, giving him an amused smile. "Oh? Wanting to fight?"

" _Do you really plan on saving her with the very sword you killed me with?"_

Borutostopped short, frozen. Incredulous at what he was hearing. His breath left him in a rush.

" _You always were foolish," Kawaki chuckled in his ear. "Thinking you can save her when you couldn't even save Konoha from me."_

He shook his head and tried to clear it.

" _Doesn't matter what you do, Boruto. The past will never disappear. Someone who has become as bloodstained as you can't hope to be reborn pure as snow."_

"BORUTO!"

The sound of Yuna's voice snapped Boruto back to reality.

"You made a promise, didn't you?" Yuna got to her feet, facing him. "You can't go back on your word. Prove to him, prove to your father that you can do this, because I know you can!"

As he absorbed her words, his expression went from tense to relieved. Boruto couldn't understand why she believed in him so much. But for some odd reason, her encouragement made him feel better and made him believe he could actually do this.

He closed his eyes, briefly, as a slow smiled curved his mouth.

_Yuna...Thank you…_

He stabbed his katana into the ground. Keeping hold of his blades hilt, Boruto sent a massive surge of electricity traveling down the blade, and through the ground toward his enemy. Large crackles of energy shot upwards along its route, lighting up the area; Ryuuji's hand drew up to his chest as he weaved the signs for a counter to the lethal attack directed towards him. A massive gust of wind raged and met the lightning attack, slicing through it, and striking Boruto whose eyes went wide in surprise of the counter against his own attack. He flew back with a cry-his hold on his katana lost-and slammed with his back to the trunk of the tree; leaving a large indent. When the wind died, he sank into a sitting position with several coughs. Across his arms, his face, and legs, were several small slashes where the wind had sliced through his clothing and into his flesh.

Boruto found himself backed into a corner, his enemy looking down at him smugly.

"Pity," Ryuuji said with a shake of his head. "I would have thought someone like yourself would have presented more of a challenge."

"I could say the same for you," the whiskered shinobi said with a smirk. "Go, Yuna!"

Ryuuji wheeled around, eyes wide and gasped as he saw Yuna and her shadow clone in the air, each holding a kunai that connected together with a sharp cord of yellow chakra between them.

"Flare Release: Flame Lashing!" Yuna shouted.

Boruto rolled to the side at the last second and Yuna's technique sliced Ryuuji in half. The two pieces fell to the ground in a heap as Yuna and her duplicated landed.

"We still got it," The duplicate grinned, before giving each other a zestful high five and poofing away.

"Flare release, huh?" He said softly, the amusement audible in his voice as he got to his feet, brushing the dirt from his pants.

"Yeah," the kunoichi said sheepishly. "I finally realized something when dad and I were talking. I thought-"

Her sentence was cut short when she noticed the lower half of Ryuuji's body inch it's way to the upper half. She lifted a shaky finger at the severed body and could only stare with her mouth agape.

_No way...It can't be…_

She must look like a big idiot standing there like that as the man standing in front of her was now eyeing her quizzically.

"What?"

Yuna recovered her wits enough to grab Boruto's face and turn his head to the body currently reattaching itself in front of them. His eyes narrowed at the sight.

"A regeneration technique," he said in a soft voice, turning his body to the scene in front of him. "For it to work, he must gather a large quantity of chakra to rapidly regenerate any damage done to the body. Those tools he has on his body steal chakra from his victims, right? So long as he has enough chakra, he is near immortal."

"So basically we're at a disadvantage," Yuna said.

"Not necessarily," Boruto said. "I'm assuming he's burned through most of that chakra regenerating. If anything, he might have enough to pull it off once more before he has to replenish."

"That hurt…" Ryuuji said as he stood. "But that wasn't bad, little kunoichi."

Yuna and Boruto both gasped in horror as they felt the shift in his chakra, his signature becoming increasingly more powerful but more malevolent as well.

Ryuuji growled, a sound that was more animal than human and held his head in his hands, shaking violently for a moment as if he were fighting an internal battle against an unseen adversary. They watched his muscles greatly expand and his hair grow wild and much longer.

"This is my ultimate body!" Ryuuji said, smiling humorlessly that sent a chill down the kunoichi's spine. "Up until just now, we were just playing. But I'm done. Playtime's over."

 _Focus._ Yuna thought to herself. Her heart drummed painfully in her chest, and a small trickle of perspiration slid down the side of her face. _Don't get scared. All we have to do is take him down once more, after that he won't be able to regenerate again._

_Impossible._

You've already used up a substantial amount of chakra as well as Boruto getting us here with his Dōjutsu.

_Don't think!_

If you show your back to the enemy in this state, then you'll just become prey. We have no choice but to fight and win right here, right now!

Yuna closed her eyes tightly, gritting her teeth.

_I haven't used this move in actual combat yet. It's crazy, but now it looks like I have to use it here. Perhaps if I make a small adjustment...then maybe...maybe I won't…_

She turned her head slightly to look at Boruto. "I have a plan," she said quietly. "but we only have one shot at it. After that, I won't be able to perform it again. For it to work, I'm gonna need that gale palm technique of yours. And then, when it hits, you run as fast as you can back to the others."

"When it hits? Wait-" His sentence was cut short as Ryuuji lunged toward them. "Yuna, move away, quickly!" Boruto said urgently as he made the hand signs for a clone.

Yuna glanced back just in time to see Ryuuji rocketing towards them, arm outstretched and fist ready to deliver a crushing blow. They jumped out of the way a fraction of a second before his fist sliced the earth where they had just been standing.

Boruto's eyes widened as Ryuuji appeared beside him in a flash, before he could react however, Ryuuji delivered a punch to his face that sent him flying with blinding speed into the ground creating a crater.

"It's useless to run," Ryuuji said, advancing toward Boruto who was currently getting to his feet. "I'll take care of you first. That seal on your palm poses as a real problem."

"Get back, Boruto!"

Boruto sprung away as Yuna stomped her foot onto the ground, sending up several carbon spikes hurling towards them. The enemy stumbled backwards but recovered quickly.

"Tch," Yuna said through clenched teeth. She quickly reached into her back pouch and pulled out a small scroll and summoned a giant iron fan. She opened the fan revealing three purple circles spaced equally across its length. "Wind Release: Great Wind-"

Before she even had a chance to complete the technique Ryuuji had wrapped his hand around her throat and effortlessly lifted her off the ground. Yuna gasped, choking as his fingers cut off her air like a tourniquet.

"Uh, uh, uh, we'll have no more of that."

Her mind screamed at her, desperate to know why it was being punished. Her lungs burned, her mouth working like a fish on dry land, sucking in nothing but fear. The edges of her vision started to grow fuzzy, and black dots appeared over Ryuuji's shoulder. Panic flooded her veins with adrenaline. Dropping the large weapon, she struggled, clawing at the fingers sealed around her throat. She tried to kick Ryuuji in the groin but only managed to connect with his shin, the impact ricocheting painfully through her foot.

Ryuuji's eyes widened and Yuna froze upon making contact with his mismatched eyes.

_Shit...not again. I can't move!_

"Yuna!"

Boruto rushed forward, only to be held back by something.

_What the…?_

He looked down and realized he was caught in something awful; quicksand. As he struggled to free himself, he could feel himself getting weaker as the enemies jutsu began to drain his chakra until he was completely engulfed by the quicksand.

"B-boruto-kun…" She gasped, her lungs burning as oxygen filled them. "I-I swear I'm going to take you down…"

"Children think that everything is so easy," he said. "That's why they are able to talk nonsense. That's why they don't give up. If it's any consolation, you'll be joining him soon. The both of you will no longer be tormented by your wretched pasts."

Ryuuji released her wrist and placed his hand on her abdomen. A sharp pain ripped through her stomach. She cried out.

"Amazing," his head tipped back in ecstasy. "I can feel it...I can feel your-"

An audible pop sounded as her solid form disappeared. The sneaky little vixen had tricked him and he cursed himself for not seeing through it.

"That may be true," he was startled to hear a female voice behind him say. He wheeled around to see Yuna, Boruto and his shadow clones smirking at him.

"But even so, I'm still willing to continue living with the burden of these memories. Even though they are painful memories, even though they're memories that make my heart ache. But as long as I try to be strong and not run away, doing my best, then someday...someday I can overcome those painful memories. I believe I can. I believe I can do it!"

Yuna jumped up and Boruto released his gale palm, shooting her toward Ryuuji at rapid speed.

"Flare Release: Napalm Fist!"

As her fist connected with Ryuuji's chest, the seal formally wrapped around her body started slithering off of her and onto him, taking a majority of Yuna's chakra into him. But Yuna didn't have time to celebrate her victory. In a moment, there would be one hell of an explosion.

"What did you do? What did you do!?" Ryuuji screamed as he clawed at his chest that was drawing copious amounts of chakra.

She rushed to Boruto, repeatedly saying, "Gotta move."

"What was that marking you placed on him?" Boruto said in confusion.

"Don't just stand there idiot, run!" She cried urgently. "This whole area is gonna blow!"

The two shinobi ran as fast as they could to safety. When Boruto took to the treetops, she was right behind him, summoning chakra to her legs to boost her powerful jump, but the movement proved to be more than her body could take for one long sharp pain ripped through her body, rendering her immobile and drawing an anguished gasp from her lips.

_Shit. I've used up too much chakra._

Boruto turned his head to look at her when he could no longer hear her footsteps following after him. He zeroed in on her location and could tell immediately something was wrong. She had pushed herself enough into a sitting position but she wasn't standing up and she looked like she was in pain.

"Yuna!" he called, jumping down from the tree tops and running to her quickly. He was at her side in seconds, kneeling down next to her with genuine concern.

"Get away from here," she said through gritted teeth. "Don't die for me. Run, Boruto. Please,  _run_!"

"I'm not leaving here without you," He slipped one arm under her shoulders and another beneath her knees and lifted her as if she weighed nothing at all.

Boruto closed his eyes in concentration as he summoned the last of his chakra reserves. After a moment, he opened his eyes, simultaneously activating both his Jōgan and Kāma.

He heard the explosion behind them, a loud blast that no doubt separated Ryuuji into a thousand little pieces and scattered him about the area. The ground rocked beneath his feet and Boruto almost lost his balance as heat and fire rushed along the clearing, towards the two shinobi.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Ataru's brow creased as she concentrated on painstakingly removing the toxins bit by bit from his mother's damaged brain tissue. He wasn't sure how long he had been at it. The procedure required that he immerse himself completely in the task as he hunched over his unconscious mother.

Suddenly, an explosion hit. A loud blast followed by an intense wave a heat overcame him. As he looked back, the tell tale crackling of a large scale flare style technique surrounded the landscape before him.

_No...No she couldn't have used that technique. She didn't! She wouldn't!_

Abruptly, Ataru rose to his feet and cried out, "Yuna!"

He shoved his hands through his hair as the air in his lungs left him. Tears pricked Ataru's eyes as the woman he loved was forever gone. He would never hear her laugh, never hear her cry, never see her roll her eyes with exasperation or narrow them in anger. He would never get to tell her how he really felt; even if he knew it would be something she probably wouldn't want to hear.

Suddenly, a dark spiraling portal opened and Yuna and Boruto fell into the center of the clearing. Relief flooded his body as he saw her back expand with every breath and he thanked the gods above that she was still alive after that technique.

However, the relief was cut short when he noticed she was in Boruto's arms. One of his hands was at the small of her back, the other behind her head, cradling her against him, protective and possessive, soothing and demanding all at once.

For a moment Ataru wanted to rip his head off. With his hands fisted at his side, he marched up to them.

Yuna awoke feeling stiff and sore. Next she registered the sensation of warmth enveloping her, the majority of the heat pressed to her front, and she slowly realized that another body was molded against her own, a hand on small of her back, the other behind her head, and a leg over her thigh, tangling her up with whoever was in front of her. Her thoughts were unusually muddled and fuzzy, but when she shifted slightly, a sharp pain shot through her body and brought everything back into sharp focus and the memories of what just occurred flooded her mind.

"Boruto,"

Her soft voice was enough to wake the shinobi and he lifted his head to blink at her. "Yuna?"

"It looks like we weren't blown to pieces after all," she smiled. "I'm assuming I have you to thank?"

"Are you hurt?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows to look down at her with concern.

"I'm alright." She whispered. "What about you?"

"I'm fine," he said, lifting himself off her body so she could get up.

"That's good. I'm glad…"

Her sentence remained unfinished as she collapsed forward. That last technique was taking its toll. She had almost used up her chakra supply and it left her weak and shaky.

Ryōgi dropped from the trees where he had been watching the surrounding area to see his friend slumped over. He called her name worriedly and was set to charge to her side but Mitsuki placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him silently as Boruto beat the red-haired man to it. He placed a hand on her back as he asked if she was all right, his voice laced with concern.

"That was Napalm Fist just now, wasn't it?" Ataru asked.

Yuna cringed and didn't say anything, letting her silence be her admittance.

"Napalm Fist? Konohamaru asked.

"It's supposed to be used as a one-time attack; where you are 100% sure it will take out the opponent," Ataru explained. "The jutsu requires a vast amount of chakra. Flare Style techniques are notorious for burning through chakra. Members of the Katayama Clan are able to focus and store chakra over a period of time; similar to the Fifth Hokage and her disciple's reserve seal. For Napalm Fist to work, the user must disperse the seal and drain all of their chakra from their body and force it into their fist. Because of this, the user afterwards will die of chakra exhaustion. It's a suicide attack... great power at great cost."

A collective gasp went through the group at the news.

"I'm fine," Yuna said stubbornly. "I made a slight adjustment to the technique before using it. I'm not going to die."

"Even so," Konohamaru said. "It still had an immense impact on your body. A technique of that magnitude should only be used when you've exhausted all other options." He turned to the five people who had been watching their exchange with concern. "Boruto, you'll be carrying Yuna. Ataru, you'll be carrying Nariko to keep watch over her condition. Ryōgi and I will watch over the civilians. Sarada, you've got point and Mitsuki will watch our backs. We need to move as fast as we can. I want to be back in Konoha by morning."

The kunoichi tried to get to her feet and insist on walking herself, but her knees buckled. Boruto caught her easily. "Yuna," Konohamaru chastised sternly. "You're too weak to even stand. There's no way in hell I'm letting you use any more chakra until you've rested."

He turned to his team and ordered them to make preparations for their departure. All the other members of their team except Boruto and Ataru had their backs turned, talking about the most direct route to take back home.

Ataru stared down at her, his eyes hard.

"How could you be so reckless?"

"Weren't you the one who wanted me to use Flare Style?" Yuna said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Yes, but I didn't mean for you to run out there and kill yourself, idiot!" Ataru yelled. "What the hell am I supposed to tell dad or  _mom_  for that matter, huh?! It would kill her, Yuna, literally kill her for her to wake up and find out that her only daughter had died."

"I know," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" the shinobi growled as his disbelief turned to hurt and anger. "What you did was monumentally stupid. Bordering on insane."

She winced at his words, looking absolutely miserable. She was perfectly aware of how reckless she'd been, but that didn't make it any easier to listen to Ataru berate her.

"You don't seem to have any regard for your personal safety."

Yuna wrapped her arms around herself as if they would protect her from Ataru's painful words, but she couldn't stop the tears from forming in her eyes. Ataru was furious with her, furious and disappointed, and that knowledge only compounded the pain gripping her chest.

Boruto could see her teal eyes glistening with unshed tears. Her body posture betrayed how dejected she felt, and for a moment, his heart ached for her. Everyone made mistakes, although it was uncharacteristic for Yuna to make one so big, but yelling at her was solving nothing.

"Ataru, that's enough."

"Mind your own business, Uzumaki. This has nothing to do with you." He pointed an angry finger at him. "And what're you even doing here? Last I checked you were off missions because of your mental state. I guess since you're the Hokage's son you have special privileges?"

"What?" Boruto growled.

"Don't take this out on him, Ataru."

Before he could shoot off a heated retort, he heard a soft murmur come from behind him. Ataru instantly turned around and breathlessly hovered over the black haired woman. The eyelashes that had rested so gently on her porcelain skin fluttered open to reveal twin teal orbs.

Immediately Ataru slipped into medic mode, speaking gently and clearly as he explained what happened and where they were. Nariko listened with wide eyes, taking in her surroundings as if she couldn't quite believe she was no longer in the basement of Ryuuji's hideout.

Yuna slowly inched forward, teal eyes wide and glistening with tears. "Momma," she whispered softly, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing.

Silence stretched between the two, breathless and surreal, until the spell was suddenly broken by Yuna rushing forward and throwing her arms around her mother. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she sobbingly confessed that she thought she would never see her again and how she was sorry for keeping Ryuuji a secret. Her mother hugged right back, the feel of her arms around her proving that this was indeed reality, not a cruel dream.

**A/N: OMG. This chapter. Literally, fight scenes are always the worst. So, I will be on vacation starting this Friday so the next chapter might have a little delay, but I'll work hard to get it out for you all when I have free time.**


	11. CHAPTER ELEVEN

**A/N: Thanks for those who reviewed/favorite/followed Mine to Take. It means a lot, so please keep it coming.**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Clean white walls greeted her the moment she woke. She hated hospitals and clinics. She hated the smell of antiseptic, hated the unwelcoming sterility of such overly sanitized environments, and she really, really hated doctors.

Since lingering effects of chakra exhaustion still remained, Shizune insisted the kunoichi stay at the hospital for the next few days much to Yuna's dismay.

Three days had gone by since the incident and Ataru was keeping her at arm's length. He'd worked late again last night at the hospital, arriving after she'd fallen asleep and leaving before she woke. He always seemed just beyond her grasp. She searched for anger, but her heart just ached with sadness and regret.

They had to talk about what went down at some point, but it wasn't going to be an easy conversation.

Ataru brought their father a clean pair of clothes for the morning. They didn't speak. As if compelled by some magnetic force, her gaze kept drifting his way. If he sensed it, he didn't show it, his focus seemingly undeterred. If he had wanted to talk, what would she have said anyway?

Another two days had passed; everything had been matter-of-fact between them. But she could sense his hesitation, the strain that came through with the short delivery of every word, the careful avoidance of her stares as she silently begged him for more. A look, a touch, anything to let her know they were okay.

Too wiped out to push him, she simply went through the motions. She hated not knowing what he was thinking, and a part of her was afraid of what he'd say if she dared ask. She needed to believe that they'd get through this, that there was a light at the end of this tunnel. Her father knocked on the door, interrupting her thoughts. When she turned her head to the side, he gave her a warm smile, before he gingerly took a seat beside her.

"Was she mad?"

She already knew the answer, but she couldn't help asking.

"A little," he admitted.

"Just a little?"

"I'm pretty sure she Shukaku'd the hospital room after I left."

Yuna closed her eyes, imagining the scene. "Did you tell her that I was fine?"

"Of course I did. And I made sure to tell her that you wouldn't be that careless again." He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. "She'll get over it. She always does."

Yuna nodded. In the silence, she could feel her dad studying her.

"I'm sorry you can't go home today," he said. His tone was soft and apologetic. "I know how much you hate it here."

"It's fine," she said automatically. Surprising herself, she realized that as much as she'd been trying to convince herself otherwise, she was telling the truth. "It's a reminder that I was reckless. On a more positive note, I gotta pretty sweet tattoo out of it." Yuna lowered the collar of her shirt to reveal a seal in the shape of a star over her heart.

"Four years of stored chakra gone," she said with a sigh. "But now that I know the after effects of this technique I think I have a better understanding on how to perfect it so I won't be in the same predicament as I am now."

"What do you mean?"

She held up three fingers "Three chakra pools," she said. "Right now I only have one, but if I put my mind to it and train harder, I think I can create up to three."

He stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "Giving you the ability to use Napalm Fist multiple times."

"Exactly."

He beamed. "That's brilliant. I can't believe I never thought of that."

She paused for a beat.

"Um," she pressed the tips her index fingers together. "Do you think maybe when I'm back on my feet and you're not so busy with work that you can help me train more with using Flare Style?"

Her father's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Really?"

She nodded. "Really."

Her father jumped up from his seat and pumped an enthusiastic fist into the air, emphasizing his excitement before engulfing her in a bear hug.

"Ow, Dad, I'm still sore."

"G-gomen," he said.

"I'm good," she muttered, relieved when he releases her.

"It's just...I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. The two of us, training together. This is going to be great. I have so many new techniques I've been wanting to show."

Yuna couldn't help but smile at his boundless enthusiasm.

"You should be reprimanding her for that carless act she pulled, not eager to show her new techniques, Father."

Ataru's voice was stern as he entered the room.

Her father rose from his seat and turned to face him. "Ataru, calm down. Yuna's a remarkable young woman. She was incredibly brave."

"Brave and headstrong and stubborn and stupid."

"Hey," Her father murmured placing a hand on his shoulder, "don't be so hard on her, son…I'd better get back. The house isn't going to fix itself. Your mother will be discharged this afternoon. Please see that she gets home okay."

"Understood."

He leaned down and planted a swift kiss on her forehead before exiting toward the hallway, leaving them alone.

Ataru grabbed her chart at the end of her bed and looked everything over. When he was finished, he placed it back where it had been and turned to leave. He was almost out the door before Yuna stopped him.

"Listen, I know we'll be angry sometimes, and we'll hurt each other. That's inevitable. I know we'll take it out on each other in different ways. But I feel like you're shutting me out to punish me even more. When is it going to end? How many different ways do I have to say that I'm sorry, that I made a stupid mistake I wish I could take back?"

He turned away slightly, raking his fingers through his hair. The dark brown strands stuck every which way.

"It should have never happened."

"I know that. I wish it hadn't."

He faced her again. "No, I don't think you fully understand. The things that happened when we were apart... all of that happened because you didn't trust me to handle Ryuuji."

"That's not true."

"It is true, Yuna."

"He stole kekkei genkai's and turned people into mindless puppets. He was doing the same damn thing to mom, and would have done it to someone else, maybe even you if I didn't use it. Do you understand that?"

"Do you really think I would have let Ryuuji hurt me or you? Do you think for a second I wouldn't have moved hell and earth to make sure you were safe from that maniac? The reality of it is that you put mom and yourself in more danger because you wouldn't come to me for help. How am I supposed to help you when you won't let me protect you?"

Her lips trembled as she absorbed the fierceness of his words. "I made a mistake. I was scared, and all that mattered at the time was knowing that everyone was safe."

"How many more times are you going to put us through this, because you're too goddamn stubborn to trust me?"

"You're punishing me for choices I already made, things I can't undo. Things are different now."

He shook his head. "Are they? Can you tell me that you wouldn't make the exact same choices? Because I can tell you right now, if you'd known, intrinsically and without a doubt to come to me when Ryuuji threatened you, all of that would have played out differently. I almost lost you. Do you understand what it does to me, Yuna?"

She blinked away tears at this onslaught. "Ataru..."

"You're strong and willful. I respect that,  _and God help me, I love you for it_ but do not ever... _ever_ do anything like this again."

"I won't," She said weakly.

"I don't believe you." His eyes were hard and emotionless.

The sense that they were falling into place filled her. He'd been shaken. But despite everything, he seemed almost at ease now. In control. Calm and commanding in his world.

"I'm sorry. I was stupid to use that technique. I just—"

"You just do whatever you goddamn want anyway. Isn't that right?"

Squeezing her eyes shut, she fought his words along with the string of regrets rattling through her brain.

Then, he took her head in his hands and held her gaze to his.

"You can't leave me," he said.  _Ever_.  _Life will be unbearable if you go._

"Ataru—"

Then her mind went blank.

"Say it," he bit out to Yuna's blank eyes. Yuna tried to fight the fog in her head, unable to move. Distantly, she realized that she was being controlled somehow, but was unable to react at all. "Say that you'll never leave me."

"I'll never leave you," she answered, her voice monotone and emotionless, and his heart flipped into overdrive. With four simple words she stitched his torn soul together. He's elated.

She looked serene and peaceful under his spell and he couldn't help but think that the woman sitting in front of him was absolutely gorgeous.

His fingers caressed her cheek. Her skin is soft and smooth, and as he brushed his thumb against her lower lip, his heart began to pound as he wondered what they would feel like against his own.

Sure it was wrong, but he would never have a chance like this again. And with her under his control and unaware, who was going to stop him?

Slowly, he lowered his face to hers until they were nose to nose. He could feel her warm breath puffing evenly against his cheek and ran his tongue over his own parted lips in anticipation before sinking the final few inches to brush his lips against hers, feeling the silky texture slide across his skin.

Even though she was unresponsive, a spark sizzled up and down his spine at the contact. He wanted to taste more of her and was tempted to slide his tongue past her lips to help himself while he had the chance, when there was a knock on the door, causing him to jerk back in alarm.

The moment Ataru's released his hold on her, Yuna blinked owlishly as if awakening from a long nap. She felt groggy and disoriented but she attributed that to the chakra exhaustion.

Sarada poked her head around.

"Hey."

"Hey," Ataru said immediately.

"How's Yuna?" Sarada entered. "Can she have visitors today?"

"Sure," he said. "but just don't stay too long; she still need to rest," he said, before turning to leave, brushing Boruto's shoulder purposely as he passed.

Insulted, Boruto turned around to watch him leave with a look of irritation on his face. Were it not for him being under close observation, he would have punched him. Ataru had a bad attitude, and he wanted nothing more than to adjust it for him.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Holy shit, he had just kissed Yuna! And he had liked it! He couldn't even really say why he had done it other than on pure impulse.

He smiled as he emerged from the hospital, unable to contain his jumble of joyous emotions.

Immediately, Ataru's mind wandered to dirtier territory, wondering how it would feel to have her against him without the barrier of fabric between them. If that were the case, Yuna would be so deep in his control that he could probably even slip himself inside her and satiate both his curiosity and lust without her ever remembering. The idea was absolutely absurd considering that those actions would be rape. He shook his head violently to clear the images, knowing there was something very wrong with him for even thinking about such things in the first place.

But despite everything that had just occurred, he was glad he had done it, even if it was a bit underhanded.

~MINE TO TAKE~

Yuna's head fell into her hands.

Something was off, but she didn't know exactly why and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was forgetting something important, that she was missing a crucial detail.

Sarada placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yuna, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, just a little tired." she reassured her, smiling.

Sarada carefully set the vase of flowers on her bedside table and said, "Seriously, what were you thinking?"

"Sarada, please. I've had the same lecture from everyone." She groaned.

She glared at her, and for one minute Yuna thought she was going to be subjected to a Sarada Uchiha how-not-to-utilize-kamikaze-attacks-on-rogue-ninja's lecture, but instead she folded her in her arms.

"Jeez—sometimes you don't have the brains you were born with, Katayama," she whispered. As she kissed her cheek, there were tears in her eyes. Sarada! "I've been so worried about you."

"Don't cry. I'm sorry I worried you."

She stood back and wiped her eyes, embarrassed, then took a deep breath and composed herself.

"How do you feel?" Mitsuki asked.

"My fingers still feel a little tingly but they're much better. I can hold my book easier now," she grinned her girlish grin.

"Did they say when you'll be released?"

"I showed to be a little more dexterous than the day before. If all goes well, I'll be be free to go in the next two to three days."

"Well, I'm glad you're doing better," Sarada said. "We just wanted to stop by and see how you were before heading out to our next mission."

Yuna turned her head to Boruto. "They let you back in the field?" She asked, excited. "I'm so happy for you."

"Actually, it's just Mitsuki and I." Sarada clarified.

Her face fell at the news. "Boruto…"

Boruto shook his head and a ghost of a smile touched his lips. "There's no sense in worrying about things you can't control."

"Well, we should head out. We don't want to keep Konohamaru-sensei waiting." Sarada said and hugged her. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too. Thanks for coming and for the flowers; they are lovely."

Sarada turned to Boruto. "Did you want to walk with us to the gates?"

"You guys go on ahead," Boruto replied, casting a sidelong glance at Yuna who was admiring the flowers they'd brought her.

The Uchiha was silent a moment, a smug smile spreading over her features.

"Hey, if you'd just wanted alone time with her all you had to do was just say it."

Boruto rolled his eyes at his friend's shamelessness, but offered Sarada a small smile of his own and gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder before they left through the threshold.

"You here to berate me to?" Yuna asked once Sarada and Mitsuki had left them alone.

He leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "No," he answered. "Besides, even if I was, it's nothing you haven't already heard. Actually, the reason I'm here is to apologize."

"For what?"

"For not being a better teammate," he said. "I'm partially responsible for you being here."

"Don't apologize. Me being here has nothing to do with you. I knew the risks of using that technique. It's true that it was a regrettable result but it beats the alternative, right?"

"Still—"

"Still," she said. "Everyone made it back home safely. That's all that matters. Well...mostly everyone."

"You heard about that, huh?"

"Yeah," she whispered, trying not to remember the hauntingly vacant eyes of all the people who had suffered the fate her mother had so narrowly avoided. "Dad filled me in on all the details when I came to."

As soon as they returned to Konoha, the soulless puppets under Ryuuji's control were sent under Sakura's care at the hospital. They watched as she immediately began pushing her chakra into one civilian's body, assessing the damage that had been done. Ataru pointed out that he and Yuna's mother had only been treated for a few hours. The civilian's could have been under Ryuuji's care for nearly a week. There was a good chance that there wasn't enough of their personality to salvage, that their brain had been nearly wiped clean and restoring them was impossible. But even so, Sakura refused to give up.

Her father's words echoed through her head: ' _Whatever happens, know that you saved several lives. You can't ask for more than that. You can't save them all, Sweetheart.'_

Yuna had heard that saying over and over during her time as a shinobi and it was a phrase she had come to loathe. The ones she couldn't save always left her wondering if there was something more she could have done, if she had the ability to save their lives, but failed.

She fisted the sheets in her small hands, her jaw clenched with frustration.  _It just means I gotta try harder._

There's a knock on the door, and a nurse entered bearing a tray of food.

"Lunch time." The nurse smiled, and pulled the wheeled tray over to her, and her momentary frustration was forgotten.

"This is great. I've been looking forward to this since I've been here." Her stomach was rumbling. She was famished.

"It's nothing fancy. You're on an all liquid diet for the time being. Perhaps tomorrow, if you manage to keep everything down, we'll start you on solids."

Yuna nodded gratefully and the nurse turned on her heel, and left the room.

With slightly shaky hands, Yuna peeled off the lid to the bowl, revealing chicken broth. It smelled delicious, and steam curled invitingly from its surface. But when she tried to feed herself, her hand shook and she managed to spill the soup over her hospital gown.

"Hot. Hot. Hot."

Boruto sighed and pulled up a chair beside her. "Just let me do it. You're making a mess all over yourself." he said, taking the small bowl of soup from off the tray and spoon from her hands.

Yuna's eyes widen with surprise.

Oh my. Boruto was going to feed her. Her inner goddess had her pom-poms in hand—she's in cheerleading mode.

"If you tell a soul about this, you are going to die," he threatened before dipping the spoon into the broth and raised it toward her mouth.

"On, my honor as a ninja," came her reply. She took a taste and it's everything it promised to be.

"Good?" he asked, scooping another spoonful.

She nodded enthusiastically and didn't' stop. Her hunger was primal. She paused only to wipe her mouth with the paper napkin.

"Tell me what happened-How did you know Ryuuji was at my house?"

He pointed to his right eye. "My dōjutsu grants me the ability to detect things generally unseen by a normal eye," he explained. "It can perceive the flow of chakra, enabling me to see the visible changes in one's chakra and likewise track a target through its chakra."

Yuna nodded slightly and a moment of silence passed before Yuna spoke again.

"You absorbed Ryuuji's jutsu. Is it due to that seal you have on your right hand?"

"Kāma," he clarified. "And yes, I can absorb other techniques, like fūinjutsu and nature transformation."

"That must come in handy during battle. Was it something you obtained from that Kara Organization?"

He narrowed his eyes. "You sure do ask a lot of questions."

She shrugged, grinning. "What can I say; you're an interesting guy, Boruto-kun."

Boruto snorted.

_Doubtful._

"Anyway," He glanced down at the diamond seal on his right palm. "This was something I obtained when I defeated Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki."

She stopped eating.  _Holy shit!_ "That was you?!"

He nodded, his expression serious.

"You really are amazing, after all." she murmured to herself.

"What?"

She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Oh, nothing." She continued with her soup.  _Damn, it tastes good._ After a beat, she resumed. "So, you confronted Ataru, huh?"

Boruto paused. "Only because he was following you," he mumbled. "If I had known you were being targeted by someone I would've prevented it. I wouldn't let anyone hurt you."

Yuna was caught a little off guard by his comment and for a moment, didn't know what to say. Even though it was just Boruto, for some reason, his words made her feel a little giddy.

"Did you at least let him explain himself?"

"No." He admitted. "And I'm sorry. More than you know."

His eyes were luminous with contrition, and impulsively she reached out, touching his arm. "Thank you for worrying about me," she said softly. "Thank you for being a good friend."

Though her hand barely grazed his arm, the sensation lingered. "Actually, I should be thanking you," he said, straightening up. "You really saved me that day. If you hadn't called out to me, I would've ended up in that dark place again."

"It's okay, no need to thank me or say anything else. I will always be there for you, I will come to save you as much as you want."

Boruto's cheeks were now tinged pink from her comment. Yuna noticed this right away and gave him a customary eye crease.

"You're blushing," she said happily.

"S-shut up…"

When she laughed, he felt something relax in him, and he knew he wanted to hear that sound again.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

As her father stated, her mother was furious. She don't ever remember her being this mad. Her mother filled her hospital room with her invective, berating her for her irresponsible behavior. She was twelve years old again.

_Oh, Mom, please calm down. Your blood pressure is not up to this._

"And I've had to deal with your brother," she grumbled, waving both of her hands in exasperation.

"Mom, I'm sorry."

"I've never seen him like that. He's aged. We've both aged years over the last couple of days."

"Mom, I'm sorry."

"You owe him an apology," she said in a more measured tone.

She kissed her cheek, and finally she relented from her tirade.

"I'll talk to him again. I really am sorry. You look well though, Mom." She tried to change the subject.

"You look pale." Her fear was suddenly evident. Her look mirrored Ataru's from earlier, and she grasped her hand.

"I'm okay. I promise I won't do anything like that again."

She squeezed her hand and pulled her into a hug. "If anything happened to you," she whispered, her voice hoarse and low. Tears prick Yuna's eyes. She savored the feeling, being in her mom's arms again. She treasured it. The thought of almost losing her, was unbearable.

"Mom, I'm good. I'm just glad you're home safe."

**A/N: So gonna spoil/clarify here a bit. The procedure Ryuuji used on his victims is a watered down version of Ataru's kekkei genkai. Though, there is more to Ataru's abilities and will be explained more as the story progresses. :)**


	12. CHAPTER TWELVE

**A/N: Wow, simply wow. I don't even know what to say. I think I got over 15 new followers from the last chapter. That's just awesome. I love you all. Anyhoo, here is the next installment. I hope you all enjoy.**

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

Yuna sighed as she eased into the wooden chair at one of her favorite eateries. She had trained hard the entire afternoon with her father, pushing herself more than usual and only now was she allowing herself to relax, settling down with her trusty book amid the bustle of lunch eating patrons around her.

The current novel was a favorite and one she had read many times. The worn and dog eared pages were a testament to how many times she had thumbed through the book. The black haired kunoichi guessed she'd eventually have to break down and buy a new copy when the spine became so damaged that the pages would begin to fall out, a fate that her new Icha Icha collection would one day face.

Today's story featured the hero matching wits against the henchwoman of the evil feudal lord he had been sent to destroy. The woman thought she could use her wiles to twist his mind and confuse him into walking into a trap, but he saw right through her as if she were transparent as glass and used his own tactics to spoil her plans. Those tactics, of course, included seduction.

It was barely past noon and all ready her body felt heavy with fatigue. She really needed to be careful how far she pushed herself. She was only discharged from the hospital two days ago and was still recovering from chakra exhaustion, her sore muscles a constant reminder of that fact.

A handsome waiter came to her table, delivering the green tea she had ordered. He flashed her a smile that was really quite striking before hurrying over to another table.

The Diamond kunoichi sighed and took a sip of her tea, enjoying the feel of the hot liquid running down her throat and warming her stomach.

As she turned the page, she caught a movement from the corner of her eye. A colorful red apple rolled to her feet. The Kunoichi closed her book with a snap and stood, replacing the novel in its pouch and reached down to pick it up.

"Oh no."

Ten feet ahead of her, kneeling down, a very beautiful, dark blue haired woman picked up the apples on the dirt road. She wore a light purple short-sleeved jacket, a long-sleeved white shirt with a two pink colored strips underneath it, light brown shorts and purple open-toed boots.

"Um, there's one here, too." Yuna said holding out the apple to the woman.

She straightened and smiled at her. "Oh, you're right. Thank you so much."

Suddenly, the paper sack in her hands tore from the bottom, dropping the apples she'd just picked up onto the ground once again.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"I'm sorry for having you assist me."

"It's fine." Yuna smiled kindly at the woman as they walked to her house, several apples cradled against her chest. "I don't mind at all."

The woman's eyes drifted to the headband on her forehead. "You're a shinobi. I have a child your age whose a chūnin. He's rather serious and stubborn at times."

Yuna giggled. "Is he now?"

The lavender eyed woman sighed heavily, sadly.

"I was worried about him at first, on whether he'd enjoyed his shinobi life or not. But now I worry for an entirely different reason. After everything that had happened to the village, he'd somewhat distanced himself from his friends and rarely gets a full night of sleep."

_Could this woman be…?_

"I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "I don't mean to bother you with my troubles. I just can't help but worry about him."

"I suppose all mothers feel that way about their children," Yuna said. "Even when they get to be grown up and out in the world on their own, it's only natural for mothers to worry about their wellbeing. I'll admit, it can be a bit overbearing at times, but it just means you care. I'm sure I'll be the same way when I have children of my own one day."

"You want children?"

"Oh most definitely," Yuna said without hesitation. "Two or three, maybe even four. But I need to find a husband first."

The woman giggled. "I'm sure you won't have a problem finding someone. You're very beautiful and very kind."

Before she had a chance to reply, she found herself at their destination. It was a beautiful two story stucco house, tan in color with an angled wooden roof and a solar panel on top.

She walked up the stone walkway. The front door was dark wood, and there were a variety of flowers in ceramic planters all around the porch area. Next to the door bell was a plaque with their family name that read: Uzumaki.

_I had some suspicions on who she might be, and thought it wasn't true..._

"Thank you, it's been a great help," she said, motioning her inside. "Now, please come in."

"E-excuse me," Yuna said as she entered the residence and placed the apples into the basket beside the door. "I'll take my leave now."

"No, please wait. I want to thank you back. Have a cup of tea at least," she said before disappearing around the corner.

Yuna slipped off her sandals and followed her into the living room. The room was spacious, tastefully furnished in creams and browns—comfortable, understated, and very stylish. She could see various pictures hanging on the wall, mostly of Boruto and what appeared to be a younger sibling at varying ages. On the mantle across the room were books resting at one end along with small photos in shiny frames.

She looked to the one in the centre and walked over toward it. She could feel herself being drawn to the picture. She lifted the picture from the mantle and stared at Boruto who had a grin plastered on his face and a young man about their age baring a scowl. He had grey eyes and bushy black hair, the sides of which were shaven and blond in colour, a tattoo of the Roman numeral IX under his left eye, a pair of piercings on his right eyebrow and stud earrings. He wore a shirt with a sleeveless vest jacket with stripe patterns on his collar and dark pants with a studded belt.

"Boruto used to smile so much back then," The woman said as she stood behind Yuna with a serving tray in her hands. "I'm glad I was able to salvage some of these pictures after the destruction."

Yuna gently placed the frame back and turned to the woman who was placing a small plate of apple slices cut to resemble rabbits with long ears. She lifted her tea from the tray and took a seat across from her.

"Please dig in, um…I'm sorry, but I don't think I ever got your name," the woman said.

"Yuna," she replied, "Yuna Katayama and thanks."

"Yuna…Yuna...that name sounds so familiar," she murmured to herself. After a moment, she let out a surprised gasp. "Oh, you're the young lady who bought us candles when my son forgot his wallet at home. Seems like all you do is help us. I'm grateful. You can call me Hinata."

"Nice to meet you."

Hinata smiled. "Your family just moved here from Sunagakure, right?"

Yuna nodded. "Yes," she said. "My father volunteered to move us down here to assist rebuilding the village."

"That's very kind. I'm grateful and I'm sure my husband is as well."

"That's just how dad is," she said with a shrug. "He's always ready to help someone who needs it; that's what makes him so amazing."

"And your mother?"

"She's a medical-nin at the hospital."

Hinata nodded, merely reached for her glass and took another drink.

"Do you have any siblings?"

"One," she said. "a brother."

"How old is he?"

"Eighteen."

"I bet he's overprotective of his little sister."

"He is. He can be a real thorn in my side at times, but he's an amazing brother. I wouldn't trade him in for the world."

"So you're close."

"We are," Yuna admitted with a smile.

Suddenly, they heard the front door open and close and a familiar voice say, "Tadaima,"

Moments later, Boruto appeared around the corner and his mouth dropped agape when he saw Yuna sitting at their kitchen table.

"Welcome back, Boruto."

"Welcome back, Boruto-kun."

"Yuna? What are you doing here?"

She stabbed her toothpick into her apple with a smirk and took a bite of it before saying, "It's a long story."

"I was the one who asked her to come in," his mother said. "I dropped the apples on the street, and she helped me out."

Yuna pushed out of her chair and stood. "Thank you for inviting me in," she bowed politely. "I'll be taking my leave now."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Yuna. Come by again soon, okay?"

"I will," Yuna promised.

Their farewells said, Yuna walked to the front door and slipped on her sandals. Boruto followed her out.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"We should have a girl's day," Chōchō said with a mouthful of consommé flavored potato chips. "We'll invite Yuna and go to the spa, and afterwards we'll get our nails done."

Sarada rolled her eyes. "Manicured nails are such a waste, seriously."

"Oh that's right; you'd just gnaw them off."

"That's not fair. I don't bite my nails."

"You just chew on them."

She slapped Chōchō's arm playfully and laughed. "Oh, hush."

As they rounded the corner, Chōchō practically choked on a chip when she saw Yuna and Boruto leaving his house together.

"Neh, neh, neh," the Akimichi said, tapping on her best friend's shoulder excitedly. "That's Yuna and Boruto, right?"

Sarada's eyes widen slightly in surprise and shifted her gaze over to Chōchō . "I think so,"

"If I saw correctly both of them came out from Boruto's house," she smirked. "Let's follow them!"

"But," Sarada turned back to where Yuna and Boruto stood and noticed there was already no sign of her two friends. "They have completely disappeared already."

Chōchō let out a sigh. "That sucks…"

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna sat in one of the swings at the Konoha playground, pushing herself back and forth with the toe of one sandaled foot.

"So you were dragged to my house, huh?" Boruto sat on the swing next to her, but didn't swing.

"It was just a coincidence that I met her. I really like her though. She's very kind. And your sister, she's so cute! Does she call you Onii-chan…?" She said, her voice clearly holding a teasing tone.

Boruto rolled his eyes and twisted the swing so he could face her. "You better watch it with Himawari or else she'll get you with her Byakugan."

Yuna giggled. "I take it you know from experience?"

"Oh yeah," he admitted with a sigh. "She's super scary when she's angry."

"Enlighten me, then."

"Alright," Boruto said. "On the day that my father was to be inaugurated as the Seventh Hokage, Hima wanted to bring her panda toy to the ceremony, but knowing that I would be the one to end up carrying it, I tried to take it away from her."

"When the toy's head was ripped off during our tug-of-war battle, she awakened her Byakugan and attacked me in her anger," he continued. "Dad arrived just in time and shielded me, but was knocked out in the process due to the attack landing on one of his chakra points."

"Holy crap, she took out your dad?!" She gasped, eyes wide.

Boruto nodded. "I was scared so shitless I tried to run from her," he said and Yuna looked at him with a confused expression.

"But doesn't the Byakugan-"

"Yup," he said, cutting her off. "Its vision can penetrate through any solid objects or obstructions. She easily found me hiding in a closet."

The image made her laugh out loud.

He pursed his lips at her.

"I'm glad you find me funny." He couldn't keep his injured feelings out of his voice.

She stopped laughing.

"I apologize. Boruto, I'm sorry," she said, trying to look contrite, but her eyes are still dancing with humor. "I'd like to meet her."

"I'll introduce you sometime."

"Really?" Yuna clapped her hands together. "That would be great."

Boruto was silent for a moment.

"Thanks for helping my mom out."

"You're welcome," she said and looked toward the two young children playing in a sandbox nearby. "It was refreshing to see the place you grew up in."

"What do you mean?"

"The bunny-shaped apples. So that's how apples are always peeled in your family."

"Oh," Boruto blushed. "Hima and I were always doing it since we were young, so it became a habit."

"And the pictures on the wall."

"You saw them?!"

Yuna jumped off her swing and moved to stand in front of him with a grin on her face. "You were really cute when you were young."

At this the shinobi couldn't help but blush even more, a trait that, unknown to him, Yuna found adorable.

"Feel any better?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yes thank you." Yuna smiled, "Two more days and I'll officially be back on duty. I could really use it right about now. I've been cooped up in the house with mom and she can't seem to drop what happened. I just want to forget about it and move on."

"If that's the case," Boruto said, and then scratched the back of his head. "You wanna kill some time...with me...tomorrow?"

A broad smile split her face.

"Sure."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

When Yuna returned home that evening, she discovered Ataru had taken the liberty of ordering dinner and several steaming cartons lay on the table.

Slipping off her sandals, she wasted no time heading up to her room, slipping out of her shinobi gear and pulling on an oversized T-shirt that reached her knees before returning to select a carton of appetizing meat and veggies and went to the couch where he was waiting for her with his own cardboard carton in hand. He was lacking the brown leather jacket he always wore, lounging instead in simple tan pants and his blue short sleeved shirt.

"How was your day?" she asked as she snuggled up next to him, draping her legs over his lap and making herself at home.

Ever since their talk, Ataru had apparently stopped trying to avoid her. He was grateful things between them finally seemed normal again. Well, at least on his end, maybe. He, however, often caught himself daydreaming about her and what it would have been like to take her virginity while she was caught in his kekkei genkai. He knew it was a horrible thing to think but he couldn't deny that he was lusting over his sister. He wanted to kiss her again and wanted her to kiss him back, to show her just how passionate he could be.

"Not bad. Most of the patients today were civilians. One man had a broken leg from falling off his roof and another was a kid with a bee sting. The poor thing turned out to be allergic."

Yuna grabbed a large chunk of meat with her chopsticks, popping it into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully before asking, "So, a fairly uneventful day?"

"Basically, except civilians are the biggest babies! I mean, sure injuries hurt but the man was in his forties and he was crying like he was five. It was embarrassing." he said between his own, smaller bites of food.

"They've hardly had the chance to build up their tolerance to pain like we have." She noted, poking him teasingly in the ribs with her chopsticks. "We fight so they won't have to."

"I know." Ataru sighed. "I just forget what softies civilians are."

She silenced herself with a mouthful of broccoli and chomped away happily as Ataru ate his food in a much more dignified manner. Mid chew, Yuna suddenly remembered something.

"Geshshu I shawm tuday."

Unfortunately the fact that her mouth was stuffed didn't do much for her communication skills. After spewing nothing more than inarticulate sounds and broccoli bits, she decided to quit talking with her mouth full. Somehow Ataru remained unfazed and answered calmly, "I don't know Yuna. Who  _did_  you see today?"

Despite his composed demeanor, the smile on his lips betrayed the fact that he was silently laughing at her and she elbowed him playfully before swallowing the lump of masticated vegetable and tried again.

"Boruto."

Ataru tensed slightly at her words.

"Oh yeah? What did he have to say?" he asked, carefully keeping his voice flat and even and void of any note of jealousy.

She dug around her carton looking for any meat she might have missed and Ataru was wondering if she planned on answered his question at all. Finally, she softly said, "I didn't see him very long. I was helping his mother with some apples she had dropped on the street. Apparently, he wants to meet up tomorrow!"

This time, Ataru couldn't keep his reaction in check. "Seriously?" he said incredulously. "You're getting involved with  _him_?"

"I'm not getting involved. We're just hanging out," the kunoichi said defensively. "What's so bad about him that I can't meet him to hang out?"

"Yuna, the man is no good," Ataru warned. "He is mentally unstable and is nothing but a lazy teen lacking motivation."

This time, it was impossible for Yuna not to detect the hint of envy in the Katayama's tone. "He made it to chūnin and saved an entire village, so he must have some motivation," she retorted hotly. "I'll be fine. We're just hanging out so stop acting like a big brother and being so protective."

She didn't know it, but her words just angered him more, although he did not show it. Did she really think he was playing the part of big brother? Did she not see that he was protecting her for very different reasons? She was to be his and no one else's, especially that Boruto's.

Ataru tried to sooth his anger, telling himself it was natural for Yuna to be curious. Once she had her rendezvous with him and found out that the whiskered teen was nothing more than a nut case, she would come back to him. She was too smart to fall for someone like Boruto.

That was what he kept telling himself, but as Yuna finished her dinner, still in an unusually good mood, Ataru couldn't help his persistent feeling of unease.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"So seriously, where are we going?" Yuna asked, noting that it seemed they were getting closer to the western outskirts of town.

"I told you, it's a surprise," His lips quirk up in a half smile, and he peered over at her. Yuna wasn't sure whether to be relieved or worried by his expression.

As they walked, large buildings were becoming scarcer and clusters of small houses took their place. Patches of scraggly greenery sprung up in some of the yards and the farther out of town they walked, the more the grass seemed to compete with concrete until it eventually won out and gave way to more of the gently rolling hills of green they had passed on the way in. An occasional structure dotted the landscape but it was clear they had left the boundaries of Konoha.

"Is this mission related to you or something?" Yuna finally asked after they had walked without speaking long enough for the silence to become uncomfortable.

"Inquisitive as always," he chuckled, veering off the main road onto a smaller dirt path that cut through the grass which seemed taller with every passing mile.

She pursed her lips at him. "Since you decided to drag me into the wilderness without an explanation," she muttered, pretending to sulk.

"Well, you have about another hour to endure because it will take us a while to get there," he responded, almost laughing when she let out a long suffering sigh. "Hey, it's better than being at home, isn't it?"

She had to admit it was true. She was unaccustomed to being cooped up in one place for so long and it felt good to get out and enjoy some air.

"Yeah, I suppose," she relented, a smile forming on her lips as she took in the sea of gently waving grass that was nearly knee high around them and the dappled shadows of shifting clouds that passed overhead. "That place is starting to feel a little like a cage. I'm glad I'm free for a while."

"You're not the type who takes well to being caged," he said, knowing that her indomitable spirit preferred to go where she wanted, when she wanted, and not stay cooped up. "And it's starting to show. That's why I arranged this trip."

His words were enough to make Yuna pause. He was doing this for her? She had thought that perhaps he was investigating an aspect of a mission and he had brought her along for his own purposes, even now she was hesitant to make more of it than that. However, she couldn't dismiss the nagging thought in her head that if he was going out of his way to do something for her, then maybe more had changed between them in that hospital room than he was willing to let on.

"What do you mean? Where are we going?" she persisted, even more curious about their destination.

"You'll see."

**~MINE TO TAKE~  
**

After an hour, they reached a drop off coming up in front of them. The grass continued beyond it but as she drew closer, she realized there was in fact a sizable lake tucked away next to the cliff that was being fed by a small waterfall a ways to their left. From here she could hear the dull roar that grew louder as they approached until they were finally standing on the edge, grass swaying on either side of them and the rippling water below. There was no river leading away from the lake so Yuna assumed it flowed underground somewhere, but all around the water's edge was a wide strip of sparkling white sand which gave way to more grass that stretched endlessly to the horizon.

The view was absolutely stunning.

"Boruto," she breathed in delight. "It's so beautiful. What are we doing here?"

"Well," he said, coming up next to her to survey the landscape. "I thought you could use a little break from your mom, so I figured we could take an afternoon to fish a little bit."

_Crap._

He gazed at her and furrowed his brow.

"You don't like fishing?"

"No, it's not that. It's just...I've never fished before." Her voice was small. She peeked up at him, and he's gaping at her.

"Never?" he whispered. She shook her head.

"I'm from Sunagakure, remember? There aren't many fishing spots nearby. Besides, even if we were anywhere near water Ataru would handle that kind of thing."

"Then I guess I have no choice but to teach you."

"Well, shall we go then?" she smiled, edging closer to the drop off until her toes hung over the edge.

"After you," Boruto said with a sweeping gesture and a slight bow.

She didn't need any more encouragement than that. She jumped gracefully off the ledge, summoning chakra to her heel and landing in a crouch on the water's surface, a series of perfect rings rippling outwards from the point of impact.

Boruto admired her for a moment from his vantage point. She moved with all the liquid grace that a kunoichi should. She stood and turned to wave at him, giving him a sunny smile that was infectious.

He jumped down from the ledge to land in a similar crouch before straightening and walking to the lake's edge and Yuna followed him, tiny ripples breaking over the water's surface with their every step.

Yuna immediately pulled off her shoes and dug her toes into the warm sand as Boruto took off his pack, smiling as she wandered to the water's edge and tested it with one toe.

"It's cold," she announced, crouching and swishing her fingers over the sparkling surface.

"And clean too."

She tilted her face upward and let the warmth of the sun wash over her. How long had it been since she indulged in such simple pleasures?

"How did you find this place?" she asked, gazing over the sea of rippling grass and the water's mirrored surface. "This is a little out of your way isn't it?"

"I had a mission out this way a few years ago and came across this place back then," Boruto replied as he rustled through some bushes, retrieving a fishing rod. "Ever since, it's been my go to spot, especially when I'm having a hard day or just can't sleep."

She tightened her hold around the rod. Her heart contracted for this man.

"Let's get to it, shall we?"

The first thing Boruto showed Yuna was how to tie the fly onto the fishing line, providing detailed explanations. Periodically she nodded intently.

Once everything was to Boruto's satisfaction, they carefully eased into the stream. Boruto stood behind her, his left arm curled around her waist, his right arm aligned with hers, and his hand molded her hand gripping the fly rod. After receiving more instruction, she nodded her readiness.

Boruto slowly pulled back their arms and flicked their wrists. The line whipped over the water. He repeated the action until the lure settled in the exact spot he wanted. Fishing seemed like serious business, so Yuna didn't interrupt his concentration. Instead, she relaxed against him, his heat taking the edge off the chilling effects of the water.

Something she could only describe as serenity seeped into her spirit. Not only did she feel Boruto's presence against her, she felt him deep inside. As if he was rooting into her soul.

She wondered if Boruto felt the same.

After several fruitless casts, Boruto angled Yuna slightly and redirected where the hook and bait landed.

She felt a tiny peck on the line. Still holding her hand in his, Boruto teased the line until a solid jerk reverberated up the rod.

"Here we go!" Boruto reeled and reeled, but it seemed to take forever to bring the fish up. Finally, she could see it just below the surface of the water. After one swift tug, Yuna lifted it high enough so Boruto could get the net under it.

"My first catch!"

For a moment, she was so caught up in her excitement that she lost herself, throwing her arms around Boruto and hugging him fiercely. For the first time in a long while, he was caught completely off guard. It was clear she was totally caught up in her excitement. Even so, his arms came up on their own and embraced her. Again, he tried to deny how nice her body felt pressed against him, so nice in fact that this alone made the walk out here worth it.

Yuna realized all too soon what she had done and tried to disengage casually without making the gesture any weirder. His distinctive and pleasant masculine scent had already filled her nostrils and the sound of his beating heart still echoed in her ears. She felt her face threaten to flush and turned back to the view before he could see what their close proximity had done to her.

"A few more and we'll have dinner," she smiled, baiting the hook and casting the line into the water once again.

They spent the rest of the afternoon fishing. They talked about everything from the kind of music they liked to their favorite movies to their favorite foods. Their eyes locked and a smile formed on his lips. He was having fun, the most fun he had had in some time.

After they caught enough fish, Boruto had gathered enough wood to pile in the center of the clearing and with a simple jutsu, Yuna had a fire burning in no time. Yuna sat down near the blaze, basking in the warmth it radiated as several good-sized fish were roasting on sticks over the fire, giving off a delectable aroma.

As she stretched her legs straight out in front of her and pressed her nose to her knees while touching her toes, Boruto sat down across from her, watching her stretch out her hamstrings through the crackling fire.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"I'm not sure I could stop you."

She took a deep breath, hoping her question wouldn't anger him, but now that she had started she couldn't stop, not when she had wanted to know.

"The picture in your house, the boy with the piercings, who is he?"

In the silence, he stiffened slightly.

"He's no one."

"It's just…I've never seen him around the village and the two of you seemed rather close."

"Yuna," he said, his voice a low growl of impatience and anxiety. "Just drop it, okay?"

She stood, awkwardly at first, not knowing what to do, but she took a few hesitant steps towards him and stopped. "You can talk to me, Boruto."

He scowled and fisted his hands. "Jesus Christ. No. Will you just fucking drop it?"

His words stung. How could he make her feel so small and insignificant with his indifference when she was here damn near begging him to let her help him? "You're right. I don't need this crap."

He sighed. "Yuna."

She turned and marched to where her boots lay. But before she could reach them, she heard him trip over the fishing rod laying on the ground as he tried to stop her from leaving, and landed on top of her.

Teal eyes fluttered open and she gave him an awkward smile when she found his gaze locked on her face.

"What do you want from me, Yuna?" he asked.

"I want you to trust me," she murmured, noticing that Boruto had not gotten off of her.

He placed his hands on either side of her head to brace himself. There was just enough space between their bodies to keep them from touching, but his thigh was wedged firmly between her own, keeping her pinned on her back.

"Why don't you trust me?" Her voice was small, almost unrecognizable as her heart began to race.

She could feel the heat radiating off his body, mingling with the warmth of the sand beneath her. His face was inches from hers and he showed no signs of moving. She secretly hoped he wouldn't.

Boruto knew he should get off of her, for laying here was like playing with fire, and yet he could not look away from the hypnotic depths of her teal eyes. He had never seen eyes that color, a sparkling shade of teal, and right now they were fixed on him, reflecting mixed emotions of uncertainty and curiosity.

Yuna watched his blue eyes refocus a little further down her face as his head dipped dangerously low. She was not in the ideal position to resist with his thigh wedged firmly between her own, keeping her pinned beneath him and honestly, she didn't think she wanted to stop him anyway. His face was coming ever closer to hers. She could feel his breath coming in warm puffs across her own lips and she parted them unconsciously in expectation. He was going to kiss her. Boruto Uzumaki was willingly going to kiss her and she realized she wanted it. God, how she wanted it!

A croak of a solitary frog shattered the breathless silence around them into a thousand pieces and Boruto drew back sharply as if he had been burnt. Yuna's half lidded eyes opened wide at the realization of what had almost happened, and lamented the fact that it hadn't.

Whatever spell had lingered over them was broken as Boruto hastily picked himself up off of her, brushing the sand from his knees and hands with all the dignity he could muster, turning his back on her to clear his own head and allow her to pull herself together as well.

He was a sick bastard. A pathetic and lonely sick bastard. He was angry at himself for losing his grip on the emotions he had fought so hard to control, but at the same time, he was a little mystified that Yuna hadn't stopped him, had almost welcomed him.

Yuna got to her feet, brushing the sand off her clothing.

"Um…Boruto?" she said, feeling awkward and unsure in light of what had just happened. "I think the fish are done."

"Very well," he said, swallowing hard and banishing the memory of her body beneath him, her lips so close to his that he could almost feel their silky texture. "Let's eat."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

By the time they had finished eating, the sun had started to set. The sky was ablaze with fiery colors that reflected off the water, making it look like a pool of amber and crimson.

"It's beautiful," Yuna breathed for the second time that day, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear that had worked its way out of her hair tie.

A light breeze had picked up, still carrying with it the warmth of the day and ruffled her bangs against her forehead.

Boruto stole a glance at her as he hitched his pack onto his shoulder, silently thinking that the woman was far more beautiful than the landscape. In that instant, he knew with certainty that he was already falling for her and that there was nothing on earth he could do to stop it.

**A/N: Reviews, pretty please?**


	13. CHAPTER THIRTEEN

**A/N: I'm honestly surprised I got this chapter done surprisingly fast. Ya'll didn't have to wait a month like the last one. :P Thanks for all those who reviewed/favorite/followed Mine to Take.**

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

By noon, Boruto had finished his list of odd jobs around the village and decided to catch lunch with his teammates Sarada and Mitsuki. They headed down to Thunder Burger for lunch. As they walked down the busy streets of Konoha, Boruto noticed how fast the village was coming along after the destruction. A small, relieved smile graced his lips.

"You're less irritable than usual today." Sarada said.

"What? No, I'm not."

She smirked. "By any chance, did something happen between you and Yuna?"

Boruto stiffened.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb," she said. "Chōchō and I both saw you; Yuna came out of your house."

_Oh, that time!_

"It's nothing like that."

"You could have just told us that you're going out with her." Sarada said. "We're close friends, aren't we?" She pursed her lips.

"You're getting it all wrong." he said. "My mom dropped her apples on the road and Yuna just happened to be there at the time and offered to help. After that, she invited her into the house."

"Oh, that's all?" Sarada sighed. "I'm disappointed...I was so excited these past couple of days thinking about it."

"You are different when she's around," Mitsuki spoke up. "Whenever she's near, you seem...content."

Boruto didn't want to admit it, but it was true. The air changed in the room when she starts doing what she does. It's so honest and so pure and so powerful; like a superpower that she can just unlock and do so specifically with not many attempts.

Sarada giggled and shook her head. "See, even  _Mitsuki_ see's it."

Boruto rolled his eyes. "If the two of you are gonna make fun of me, go home."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"It's your turn. Are you going to move yet," muttered the lazy genius, staring at the shogi board.

"Ehhh...gimme a little more time," his opponent pleaded, holding up her hand. Biting her lip, Yuna glared at the pieces with narrowed eyes.

In the booth across from her, Shikadai's teal eyes rolled slightly. Resting his chin on his hand the young Nara heir mumbled, "Troublesome."

"I'm almost there, Shika...honestly!" Yuna insisted, hand poised inches from moving a likely piece.

"Before I fall asleep?" Shikadai quipped, though there was no bite to his words. Secretly he enjoyed seeing that nonplussed innocent look on the dark-haired kunoichi's face. How the teal eyes focused intently on the pattern of pieces. Alternatively, the way in which Yuna's nose wrinkled slightly when she frowned. However, he enjoyed it far more when she smiled; like sunshine on a cloudy day.

"Hold your horses. I'll move soon! You told me to make sure I had a plan in mind right?" Yuna grumbled.

Shikadai's eyes narrowed as Ryōgi leaned over to Yuna, and smilingly whispered something in her ear.

Yuna's eyes widened slightly and she smirked mischievously.

"Oi, don't help her."

"Sorry, sorry." Ryōgi smiled, holding his hands up like he's threatening him at gunpoint.

Finally, her hand rested on a piece and shifted it over.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Shikadai asked, with a hint of a smirk twisting his lip up.

"C'mon, what's wrong with that move?"

Moving his knight, Shikadai said, "Nothing, except this."

"Aww c'mon," Yuna frowned, moving another piece. Amused, Shikadai looked and made a move as well.

"Take your time," Shikadai urged.

Pouting Yuna countered, "But you just told me to hurry. Can't you make up your mind?"

"Somewhere between taking the time to think through a move and stalling I meant," Shikadai corrected her, lifting an eyebrow.

"What, you want a punch-clock timer?" asked Yuna.

Shikadai smirked, eyes closed. "That belongs in chess, not Shogi."

"Why not? Both are old fart games aren't they?" Yuna teased, grinning at him.

Suppressing a chuckle the Nara asked, "If this is such an old fart game why are you bothering to learn to play it, huh?"

"Cause I didn't have anything better to do today." Yuna confessed, leaning her cheek against one hand with the elbow resting on the table.

The Nara raised his eyebrows. "Oh, so I'm an activity you turn to when you're bored then?"

Yuna sat up straight, her eyes wide. "Not at all! I just thought I'd wanna learn this game you're always playing with Ryōgi; see what all the hype is about."

He chuckled. "Suuuuure."

"Hey guys. Mind if we join you?"

They looked up to find Boruto, Sarada and Mitsuki standing beside the large booth with their food trays in hand.

"Not at all." Yuna said.

"You look like you're concentrating hard." The Sharingan user smiled, taking a seat across from Chōchō at the table beside them. Boruto and Mitsuki settled in on either side of Inojin.

Yuna chuckled softly. "I  _am_  actually."

"Neh, Yuna, now that Sarada's here," Chōchō said, "why don't we head down to the hot springs after lunch?"

"Oh, that sounds nice. I haven't been to a hot spring in a long time."

"So you're game?"

"I would be, but I actually have plans with Ataru today. Mom and Dad are out and about for the day and well, I haven't spent much time with Ataru lately, and we planned on binge watching some movies and eating junk food until we crash."

"Aw, cmon, you see him every day," she whined. "We've never had a girl's day before, it'll be fun. I'm sure he won't mind if you reschedule."

Won't mind? Boruto wanted to scoff at the statement. Ataru is so damn possessive of Yuna it's a miracle she's even sitting here with them.

"Yeah, but—"

"Please," she begged.

"Fine," Yuna groaned. "but you owe me. And by owing, I mean you're paying for my entry at the hot springs."

"Deal."

"Um, Yuna?"

She turned to find Hiroki approaching their table offering her a tentative smile. He was in his usual work uniform, blue pants, flak jacket, and a red armband on his left arm that has his clan's emblem on.

"Oh, Hiroki-san." She smiled kindly.

"Sorry, I hope I'm not interrupting."

"No, not at all. How's granny?"

His smile widened. "She's doing great; she's always boasting about you."

Yuna giggled. "Is she now? That's very kind of her. Would you like to join us?"

"I would love to, but I'm actually about to set out on another mission," he scratched the back of his head. "Do you have a minute?"

Chōchō rushed out of her chair and pulled the teal-eyed kunoichi out of the booth. "She's got all the time in the world!"

As Boruto watched Hiroki lead the black haired woman outside, he couldn't help but feel a stab of disappointment in his chest.

_...Disappointed that it isn't you confessing over there._

The thought ran through his mind before he even had a chance to stop it and it was crazy enough that it actually made him pause a moment.

He was jealous of a man confessing his love to Yuna? Why would he think that way? It was completely inappropriate behavior.

And yet, he was well aware that a great many inappropriate thoughts had been manifesting themselves ever since they went fishing. He couldn't help but remember the way her surprisingly lush body felt against him as he lay on top of her and how those perky breasts felt as they pressed against his chest.

If she accepted his offer, would she allow him to touch her, to caress those delightful curves in a way Boruto never dared…

He tried his damndest not to be bothered by it. Hell, it was a good thing she had people interested in her. She was smart, caring, funny, strong, stubborn and surprisingly sexy.

So why then was there a strange feeling gnawing at his gut as he watched Hiroki with her?

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"I heard you were just released from the hospital. Are you okay?" He asked, his voice soft and full of concern.

"It wasn't anything major," she shrugged. "Just some chakra exhaustion is all."

The Sarutobi could practically feel the huge sweat drop running down the back of his head.  _That sounds pretty major..._

"But I'm officially back to my old self," Yuna smiled, giving him a thumbs up.

Hiroki returned her smiled, relieved. "Thank goodness."

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I was curious as to why you didn't show up at the meeting spot." he asked quietly. "I mean if you weren't interested you could have just told me."

She blinked at him, confused.

"I'm sorry, I'm a little confused. What're you talking about?"

"I bumped into Atatu a little over a week ago while I was out looking for you before heading out on my mission. He told me I could find you at the training ground, but you had already left by the time I got there. I gave Ataru a note and told him to give it to you in case I didn't find you. You never got it?"

Yuna's teal eyes narrowed suspiciously and Hiroki wasn't sure whether she was wary of his actions or the Katayama's. "Ataru? That's odd, he never said anything about you leaving me a note."

"Strange," Hiroki said. "He doesn't seem like the kind to forget about something like that."

Hiroki reached over, took her hand, and squeezed it gently, running his thumb across her knuckles to and fro. Her breath hitched. She blinked at him, smiling shyly, and saw a smile play on his lips. However, she couldn't help but be disturbed by this development. If Ataru had given Hiroki a note, and the Katayama had purposefully withheld it, then he was being more than a little overprotective. He was trying to manipulate Yuna into cutting off her relationship with him.

"No," the kunoichi said in response to Ataru's remark as she turned over this troubling news in her mind. "He doesn't."

"It doesn't matter now," he said. "What matters is that you're here with me and I can finally tell you how I feel."

For the first time someone was going to confess to her. Her heartbeat had accelerated, and her cheeks were heating up. Nervously, she tucked a hair behind her ear.

"Ever since that day you helped my grandmother, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you," he began. "You're beautiful, kind, loving, and accepting of the differences in others."

Yuna didn't know why, but her gaze drifted in Boruto's direction. Their eyes met and he quickly averted them before taking a long sip of his drink.

She remembered the breathless moment yesterday afternoon when she thought he was going to kiss her. What had happened between them? Was the chemistry she felt so strongly affecting him as well? Was he possibly feeling that mysterious pull? The thought was tantalizing.

"Yuna?"

"H-hai!?" She stammered, her mouth so dry she can hardly form the words.

He brought his legs together and placed his arms at his sides, bowing his head and his upper body slightly. "I'm in love with you. From the first time I saw you, I think. Please do me the honor and go out with me!"

She didn't know what to say and any words she might have managed to piece together would have caught in her throat as it constricted painfully.

"Hiroki," she whispered.

"What's wrong?"

She bowed her head apologetically. "I'm sorry," she said. "I truly am flattered by your offer and your feelings toward me, however, right now I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to return them. It wouldn't be fair to you."

"Is it because of your father's clan? I'm well aware of you and your mother's situation. You'll be safe with me, I can protect you...the both of you."

"Thank you, that's very kind."

"But?"

Yuna hesitated.

"There's someone else?"

More silence.

"Oh, I see…" he said. "I guess he's someone your age?"

Yuna lowered her gaze.

He scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, a rejected man has no right to pry into who you love. I understand. I'll take my leave now."

Guilt flooded her heart as she heard the hurt in his voice.

"I'm so sorry…"

Reaching over, he took one of her hands and slowly pulled it to his mouth, tenderly kissing the back of her hand, such an old-fashioned, sweet gesture.

"Don't be. I hope it all works out for you."

He turned away and slowly walked up the street toward the large gates. She watched him go, his shoulders slouched in defeat. Letting out a heavy sigh, Yuna walked back inside Thunder Burger and slumped into the booth.

"A love confession?" Chōchō said knowingly, her smile turning mischievous

Yuna let her forehead thump down onto the table and groaned. "Yes."

She raised a pinkie finger and said, "So are the two of you a thing now?"

"No," she said. "I turned him down."

Yuna had expected many reactions to her answer, but Chōchō's jaw dropping and her burger falling onto the table had not been one of them.

After a moment of silence between them, the brown haired kunoichi was able to gather her wits enough to ask, "Are you serious? He was a hottie and looked super into you, and let's not forget he's from the Sarutobi clan!"

Yuna mumbled something incoherently and sat back against the booth, her foot tapping anxiously as she tried to keep her scattered thoughts on track.

"I wish I had men professing their love to me! Good God, what's your secret? Is it your figure, your personality, the boobs? Well if you're not going to take advantage of the men flocking to you, send them my way! I mean, JEEZ!"

"Quiet down, Chubs." Inojin said irritably.

"Sorry, but I forgot there was something I had to do," Yuna mumbled, standing abruptly. "I'm going to go."

"Aw, but what about the spa?" Chōchō whined, sounding more like a little girl than ever.

"Sorry, maybe next time ok?" she said, trying not to feel guilty as the amber-coloured eyes looking at her hopefully, suddenly filled with disappointment.

"Lame."

Boruto rose as she started to leave. It didn't take him long to catch up to the fuming woman. Her hands were tightly fisted at her sides as she stomped down the street. The invisible aura coming off of her practically pushed people out of her way, warning them not to get too close to the angered girl.

"What happened?"

"Don't worry about it. It's not your problem."

"What does that mean, it's not my problem? If it involves you, it's my problem."

"Well this isn't." Her voice was shaky with frustration.

He paused. "I hate that you won't tell me what's bothering you."

"Ironic, huh?"

Boruto was taken aback.

She sighed heavily, sadly. She noticed a stone bench and took a seat, running her hands down her face. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "I had no right to say that to you. It's just...it was something that Hiroki had told me."

"What did he say?" Boruto said bleakly when he's seated beside her.

She hesitated a moment before speaking. "Hiroki said a few weeks ago he was out looking for me. He ran into Ataru and gave him a letter in case he couldn't find me. The things is, I never got it."

"Ataru deliberately hid it from you?

"I don't know that for sure," she stared down at her knotted fingers. "Ataru and I are real close. He's never hidden anything from me before. I kinda feel...betrayed."

"So what're you going to do?"

"I'm going to confront him about it when I get home."

"Let me come with you. Could be totally harmless, but you shouldn't go alone."

The protective tone of his voice took her by surprise. She silently wondered if she had damsel in distress tattooed on her forehead, but in truth she wasn't wild about going on this venture by herself either.

"It's okay. I can handle this."

He didn't look any more comfortable with her solo plan, and she couldn't help but give him points for caring.

"Don't worry, Boruto. I'll be fine."

Boruto nodded slightly and a moment of silence passed before he spoke again.

"Yuna," he began, his voice taking on a somber tone. "About the other day…"  
  
The kunoichi gave him a sheepish smile as she absently played with a lock of smooth black hair.

 "Yeah about that," she said softly. "I'm sorry for trying to push you. I shouldn't have crossed that line. It really wasn't any of my business."

She had obviously misinterpreted what he meant about 'other day', but hell, there were a dozen things he could have meant, like falling on top of her and coming incredibly close to completely ravishing her.

"Well, it was a bit unexpected," Boruto admitted.

 "Sorry," Yuna said, a blush starting to tinge her cheeks. "I just wanted to understand you a little more is all."

 Boruto settled back on the bench as he regarded her. "I do trust you, you know. This past year hasn't been easy for me. You've kinda been my only way through it, so thanks."

Yuna smiled shyly and blushed a little more. It was amusing and rather endearing to see this woman, who was normally so strong and so proud, blush.

 A moment of silence passed, and then another, stretching out until the air bore a heavyweight of all the things they wanted to say to each other, but couldn't.

 "Well," Yuna said, standing abruptly when the awkward silence became too much for her, "I should get going. This thing with Ataru isn't going to magically fix itself."

Boruto moved to stand beside her. The world was once again painted in various gray tones as dark clouds took over the sky. It looked like there would be rain tonight.

 He could feel tension crackling between them, a strained silence of unspoken words. He knew he had to address the issue they had carefully tiptoed around. He had to talk about their kiss gone horribly wrong.   
  
"Yuna, about what happened yesterday," he said, drawing a deep breath and steeling himself for her reaction. "It should have never happened and I'm sorry that I tried to kiss you. My behavior was extremely inappropriate."

 Yuna didn't even turn to look at him but kept staring out into the street, making it very hard for Boruto to read her expression. The sky outside was darker than normal, with the promise of impending rain, and she hoped it wasn't an omen that her confrontation with Ataru would turn stormy as well.  
  
"I knew you'd say that," she said softly.

"Yuna, I—"

 "Let me guess," she said, now turning her attention to him, her lips curved in a soft smile but her eyes devoid of any humor. "Heat of the moment, right?"

Was it his imagination, or did she almost look…sad?

"Well I suppose I could have lost control with any woman I was this comfortable with," Boruto lied, knowing no woman had ever tempted him the way she had.

 Yuna eyed him critically, as if sensing his fib and trying to decide whether she should call him on it or not. But instead she smirked, eyes growing devious as if a wicked idea had just come to her.  
  
"So, you've seen me totally naked and know my entire backstory, but I haven't seen or heard anything of yours. That's a little unfair, don't you think?"

 Boruto blinked at her. Of all the things she could have said, he certainly wasn't expecting that.

"You saw my Dōjutsu," he reminded her, not sure if he liked where this was going.

 Yuna rolled her eyes.

 "Yeah for about a second. That's not exactly a fair trade."

 Boruto knew he should have sent her on her way while he had the chance, but he was just too damn curious to know what she was up to. If he had been a cat, his inquisitive streak might have killed him.  
  
"So what do you suggest?" he asked, knowing he was treading dangerous ground.

Yuna smiled innocently, but her eyes gleamed brightly. She was a crafty little thing and he should have known better than to fall into her trap.

"Kiss me," she said.

For a moment, there was only silence as he tried to process the two little words that had passed her lips.  
  
"No," he finally answered, his bland tone disguising the fact that he was more than a little surprised by her request and silently thanking the gods above that he had half the mind to refuse her.  
  
Yuna pouted."Aw, come on. Just a little one?" she pleaded, making her eyes big and round like a doe's, knowing this tactic would be far more effective on him than a sultry glance.

 "No," Boruto said again, even though those big, teal eyes were making a strange ache rise in his chest.

 Yuna was determined. She wanted this kiss, wanted to feel what it was like to have those lips of his actively pressing against hers. He wanted it, she knew he did because she could see it in his eyes, but he was a stubborn man. Unfortunately for him, Yuna Katayama was not averse to playing a little dirty.

 "Why?" she asked, pushing out her pouty bottom lip a little further. "Don't you want me?"

 "I hardly know you," Boruto remarked with a sigh, turning away from her and walking back towards the bench she had just abandoned. He sank into it wearily, as if resisting Yuna was physically draining, and he supposed that in a way it was, because, deep down, he desperately wanted to taste those rosy lips.

 Boruto had walked right into her trap with his response and she tried not to let a victorious smirk show on her lips.

 "Liar."

 She could tell Boruto cringed, even though he was facing away from her, and this time she did smirk before forcing her face back into a wounded pout. She walked towards him silently, hand falling to his shoulder before walking around until she was standing in front of him. She leaned down until they were eye level, her nose almost bumping his.  
  
"It's not nice to lie, Boruto-kun."  
  
The whiskered teen said nothing, keeping his face impassive even as he realized she had backed him into a corner. He remained motionless as the hand not on his shoulder came up to his face, nimble fingers, tracing the raised scar below his eye, giving him plenty of time to stop her if he wanted. But it was as if he were paralyzed by those big teal eyes fixed on his face. And then she was leaning further into him, bringing her other hand to rest on his shoulder as well as her lips brushed over his.  
  
Yuna noted he was rigid and unmoving as opposed to his usually relaxed posture. She was certainly affecting him despite his cool demeanor, but he made no move to participate as she deepened the kiss, pressing smooth lips more fully against his and let her eyes drift closed.

 Boruto did his best not to let out a pleasured gasp when she stole his breath away, knowing that the slightest sign of encouragement might prompt her to kiss him even deeper. If that tongue of hers sought entrance to his mouth, Boruto knew he would instantly lose this battle of wills and submit to her completely. 

He was just as Yuna imagined, warm and soft and tasting of something rich and dark. That familiar sensation sizzled along her nerve endings once more, even though their kiss was surprisingly chaste. He wasn't exactly kissing her back but he was allowing her to press her lips to his, which for now, she supposed was enough.  
  
After a long moment, she finally pulled away and Boruto allowed himself to breathe again, not even aware that he had been starving his lungs of oxygen. A smile was on her lips, beautiful and real.

 "Thank you, Boruto," she whispered softly. "I believe this makes us even."

 The older shinobi just stared at her mutely as her taste lingered enticingly on his lips. His body was left hot and tingly despite the briefness of their kiss. Yet the fact remained, he had just kissed Yuna and it frightened him a little to discover just how much he had liked it.

Yuna was hoping he would react in some way, although she wasn't sure exactly what she wanted from him. Perhaps she hoped he would pull her back towards him and plunder her mouth with all the passion and need she knew resided in him somewhere. He had shown her that side last night while she was beneath him, but today, he seemed to have it firmly locked away behind the bars of his iron will. He just looked at her and Yuna began to feel that this was all she was going to get out of him for now.

 "Those smut books have influenced you horribly," he said at last when he finally felt like he could speak without his voice trembling.

Yuna smirked knowingly and straightened, flipping long black strands over her shoulder. "I gotta go," she said. "I'll see you around."

Boruto nodded. Her exit would once again be abrupt and, once again, he supposed it was for the better.

 She made her way down the street and looked over her shoulder one last time.

 "Thanks Boruto. You made me feel a little better for a while."

 He gave her another nod in response, and then she was gone, leaving Boruto touching his lips hesitantly, feeling the moisture of her kiss still residing there, and wondering why she was making it so hard for him to behave himself.  
  
 **~MINE TO TAKE~**

Ataru was sitting at the dining table at his laptop when she arrived. His welcoming smile widened when he saw her.

He gently closed his laptop and rose, grabbing two dvd's lying on the table before making his way towards her.

"I'm glad you're home," he said. "I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of choosing tonight's selection; we both know you have a poor taste in movies."

She looked away, physically incapable of looking at his eyes straight on.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." She stood there awkwardly, paralyzed. "Can we…talk?"

"Okay." His eyes narrowed slightly and he placed the dvd's back down onto the table before casually leaning against the kitchen counter.

She shifted her weight back and forth a few times. He raised his eyebrows a fraction.

"I, uh, saw Hiroki today."

He tensed.

"He said he left you a note to deliver to me. Is that true?"

"I remember him looking for you, but I don't recall him handing me a note to give to you." he lied.

Yuna eyed him suspiciously. "Are you lying to me?"

"What do you want me to say, Yuna?"

"The truth would be nice."

He sighed heavily, closing his eyes for a moment, and for the longest time he didn't answer. "Yes, Hiroki handed me a letter to give to you. I disposed of it the moment he left."

"Why? Why would you do that?" She cried.

"Yeah? Well what about you?" Ataru shot back, finally getting over his shock and drawing on his anger. "You deliberately kept Ryuuji from me. How is this any different?"

Yuna slammed her fist against the door. "Don't you dare turn this around making it my fault!" she shouted. "The hurt in his voice, the pain in his eyes; you really made me look like a stuck up bitch, you know that? He didn't deserve that. Why? Why would you go and do something like that?!"

"Because he doesn't deserve you!"

Her mouth dropped open, closed and then opened again like she meant to say something but couldn't find the words.

"He can't give you what you need. You know that," he said with a humorless laugh. "Besides, he's too old for you."

Yuna looked at him in disbelief.

"That was bitter, Ataru. I thought men grew up eventually, but I guess not."

Ataru took a deep breath and swallowed down his temper. He didn't want to fight with her. Not tonight. Not when things between them just returned back to normal.

"Come on," he said, reaching for her hand. "Let's sit down and talk. We can work through this-"

"Don't touch me!" Her voice rang out sharply.

"Yuna…"

She took a few steps back, away from him. "I said don't touch me!"

For the first time, she glimpsed a flash of anger in his expression as he lunged for her wrist. "Calm down…"

She yanked her arm, trying to free it. "Let go of me!"

"Why do you always have to act like such a rotten brat?" he demanded.

As she struggled to break free, she looked up at him and felt a cold blade of fear. This wasn't the Ataru she recognized. His brow furrowed, almost wrinkled, his jaw ropy and distended. She froze, leaning away from his hot, labored breath.

"I didn't want it to go down this way, Yuna. I really didn't, but you're not giving me much of a choice here."

Yuna pulled back slightly, a little confused by his remark.

"What're you talking about?"

"I'll erase it," he muttered, more to himself than to Yuna. "I'll just make you forget this ever happened, but then there's that damn Hiroki I have to deal with too."

_...Erase?_

"Do you have a kekkei genkai?" She couldn't keep the shock out of her voice.

"I do," He said, a dark note creeping into his voice that the woman before him didn't like at all. "but you won't remember that now will you, Yuna?"

Without being entirely aware of what she was doing, her hand crept to the kunai holster at her thigh and quick as lighting, she had it in her hand.

With a surge of strength she didn't know she had possessed, she managed to shove the larger man off of her, kunai still in hand. If Ataru hadn't recovered so quickly, she might have done some serious damage.

Although her anger made her strong, it also made her careless and he easily sidestepped her lunge, grabbing her wrist in one long fingered hand and squeezing until the bones in her forearm grinded together painfully, causing her to drop the sharpened weapon to the floor.

With one fluid move, he yanked her full force to the ground, sending her flying onto her back.

She cried out in surprise, then he's on top of her, and she started to struggle as he made a grab for her hands. Roughly, she placed her hands on his chest, pushing with all her might, trying to move him, while he endeavors to pry her legs apart with his knee.

She continued pushing at his chest—but he didn't flinch. He attempted to grab her wrists, and finally captured one, despite her valiant attempts to twist it free. It's her sore hand, so she surrendered it to him, but she raked her nails down his neck with her other hand, leaving bloody scratches in her wake.

"Ah!" He yanked his head back and gazed down at her, his eyes wild and furious.

Again she struggled in vain to wrest her hand out of his hold. At the same time she tried to hook her ankles together and attempt to buck him off her. He's too heavy.

With a groan, Ataru captured her other hand. He held both her wrists in his left hand, and his right traveled up his neck and glowing as it goes, sending in green chakra and mending his wound, leaving unflawed skin in his wake.

She made another fruitless attempt to buck him off, but he's just too  _on her._

"Stop fighting me," he commanded, his voice urgent, strained.

As if on cue, a wave of fatigue hit her with his command. Every muscle sagged, weighted with this new and sudden weakness. Confusion swirled through her as she tried to think her way through what was happening. Her mind was moving too slow, her attention scattering until he caught her jaw painfully so she faced him.

"I must admit, I wasn't planning on using this again on you so soon."

Again? Yuna's increasingly fogged brain was having a hard time sorting out the words spoken. An "again" would imply that she had been under his kekkei genkai before, and yet she remembered no such instance.

"I used to detest this kekkei genkai, just like you when it came to using your Flare Release," he explained. "You see, my father had a heavy-hand. He would beat my mother repeatedly and wipe her memory of it after; she'd wake up the next morning wondering how she came to be so battered. Eventually her body couldn't handle his abuse and she died. As I stared down into her soulless eyes, my stomach cramped painfully, not with revulsion or disgust but with guilt, with failure and futility and sheer black despair."

"I awakened my kekkei genkai at that moment. Suddenly, I didn't feel like such a useless child anymore." He continued. "The second he tried to grab me, I placed my hand on him and I told him to grab the largest kitchen knife he could find and slit his throat."

A single tear trickled down her cheek.

"That was the last time I ever used it. Well, until that day at the hospital that is." His thumb brushed her lower lip, and his breath hitched. "You are so sweet. I just couldn't control myself. I can't...I refuse to live without you."

Her head felt like a drum barrel, buzzing with a never-ending soundless vibration. She told her limbs to move, but no amount of willpower would force them to move even an inch.

"Ataru," she slurred. The words melted into the space between them, along with her fading consciousness.

Reaching up, he caressed her cheek, running his long fingers down to her chin, which he grasped between his thumb and forefinger. "Don't worry. I'll make it quick. When you wake up tomorrow morning, everything will be back to normal. We'll be happy again. Isn't that great, Yuna?"

She grasped desperately for control, to fight the paralysis that slid like cold molasses through her veins, making everything slow. Her lungs struggled for air, the effort to breathe taxed amidst the rising panic and whatever invisible enemy her body was fighting.

"That's a good girl."

Losing her grip, she was vaguely aware of him planting his hands on either side of her head.

_No, no, no. God, no._

No one would hear her, but her mind screamed it until her vision went black.


	14. CHAPTER FOURTEEN

**A/N:** Thanks to all those who reviewed/favorite/followed Mine to Take. As always, it means a lot and gives me a ton of motivation to continue forward. So please keep it up! I broke this chapter down into two parts so I could update a little quicker for you all. Currently working on the next chapter. :)

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

The moment Yuna opened her eyes the next morning; she knew it wasn't going to be a good day. She had a headache, a real monster, gnawing her brain, trying to get out through her skull. Her body was stiff and achy and it felt like someone had beaten the hell out of her while she slept on blissfully unaware.

She dragged herself to the bathroom, practically crawling in her pain, and took a hot shower while she channeled the chakra within her body to sore muscles, draining away stagnant lactic acid and letting the water beat some life into her tired body.

She wasn't ready to get out of the safe haven of the bathroom and start her day, but she couldn't stay in there forever. Today was her first day back since battle with Ryuuji and the Hokage wanted them over at the academy, claiming that they were short handed and that their assistance would be much appreciated.

Securing the towel around her chest, she went to the sink and smeared toothpaste on her purple handled toothbrush. While waiting for the water to get hot, she realized she had no memory of having gone to bed. She thought it was one thing not remembering falling asleep-that happened every night, she knew-but she did not think it was possible to not remember coming to her room and going to bed.

She spit and rinsed her mouth before picking up a hairbrush from the medicine cabinet, and brushed out her tangles.

Suddenly, she stilled as she felt a familiar presence behind her. Ataru reached around her to grab the toothbrush he had left on the sink.

Apparently, the sounds of her getting ready for the day had been enough to wake him.

For some reason, she was quite aware of the body heat he was radiating onto her back and of the brush of his arm against her shoulder as he leaned over to wet his toothbrush under the facet.

Hesitantly, she lifted her eyes to meet his in the mirror and was surprised to find he was looking rather haggard. It looked like there were dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept much and his face looked gaunt and drawn. She couldn't remember ever seeing him like this. There were missions she had gone on with him when he had kept watch the entire night and hadn't looked this bad in the morning.

"Good morning," she said quietly as she reached into the medicine cabinet for an aspirin.

"Morning," Ataru replied groggily before wrinkling his brow in concern. "Does your head hurt?"

"Uh-huh," she replied, swallowing down two pills with some faucet water. "Not sure what brought it on, but it hurts like hell."

Ataru was no idiot. The headache she was experiencing was no doubt attributed to his kekkei genkai; it was like waking up with a bad hangover. A smile formed on his lips at the fact that the kunoichi had no recollection of what had happened to her last night. Perfect. It seemed everything his ability had worked beautifully.

"It's probably caused from all the sugar you ingested last night," he lied. "I told you to slow down, but you didn't want to listen."

"Yeah, that sounds like something I would do." she said. "It's just...weird. I don't even remember heading off to bed."

"That's because you crashed halfway through the second movie, so I carried you upstairs to your bed."

"Oh…"

"Your hair's very damp," he scolded, allowing his hand to graze her black tresses.

However, the action seemed to cause Yuna to panic. She gasped and suddenly pushed him away, his back hitting the wall behind him. But when she realized it was Ataru facing her with a look of confusion, she deflated, stopping her hands from their defensive position.

"I'm sorry," she said sheepishly. "I don't know why I did that just now…"

She trailed off, eyes cast downward as she wrapped her arms around herself as if warding off a chill. Reaching down he cupped her chin, pulling her head up to meet his eyes.

"That's enough sweets for a while." he whispered.  _  
_

"Yeah—yeah, maybe you're right."

_Maybe I'm just being neurotic, but something about him scared me._

Once dressed, she staggered out to the common room, still not feeling a hundred percent, and flopped onto the couch where her father was engrossed in a newspaper and her mother painting her toenails a sultry shade of red.

"Morning," Yuna mumbled, contemplating whether she should curl up and fall back asleep right here.

"Hey there," Her father said gently with a smile as he put down his newspaper. "How are you, kiddo?"

"I've been better," she admitted. After all, it wasn't every day when it felt like you were hit by a train.

A cool hand found her forehead. "You're warm," her mother said, her voice soft and full of concern. "You're not getting sick are you?"

"I don't get sick," Yuna groaned, rolling her eyes. "Besides, it's probably from the raging headache I have the size of Konoha."

Her mother began to absently run her fingers through Yuna's still damp strands, her long nails running lightly over her scalp and the sensation was soothing,

"If you're not feeling well, perhaps you should call in." Her mother suggested.

"And miss my chance at schooling some kids. No way I'm passing that up." Yuna scoffed and rolled off the couch. "This is actually one low rank mission I'm looking forward to. Besides, I took something for it. I'll be fine in an hour or so."

Her father chuckled. "Doubtful with you being assigned to a bunch of youngsters and all. You'll be spending the entire day breaking up fights, wiping noses, and yelling at them to throw kunai at the targets and not the neighborhood cat. It'll be like running a daycare for a bunch of six year old Yuna's."

She laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. "Hush it, old man. I was a well behaved child thank you very much."

"Whatever you say, Sweetheart."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Despite his engrossment in Thunder Burger's new limited edition burger, Boruto couldn't help but be aware of his surroundings, his reactions as a ninja engrained a little too deeply to repress. Anyone else would have missed the faint sound of her name coming from down the street, but the Jogan user's ears instantly pricked as he heard a female voice reply. A voice that was strangely familiar.

Curious as to what she was up to, he nimbly leapt to the rooftops so he could get a close while still remaining unseen, repressing his chakra to make himself all but invisible.

He jumped from roof to roof, following her voice until she came into view.

Even from the back he recognized her immediately. The long black ponytail and teal attire made her identity easy to guess.

Yuna was running ahead of a small group of village children attending the academy, who were all sweaty and breathless as they desperately tried to keep up with the energetic woman. She turned around and started to run backwards, yelling words of encouragements.

Boruto watched her a moment, a slight smile on his lips until he felt eyes on him and glanced over to find his father watching him with an amused smirk.

"You're different." His father said.

He frowned and took a long sip of his drink before turning his focus back on Yuna before muttering, "Okay?"

His father shook his head. "Not in a bad way. You just seem happier is all. It's nice seeing you this way." He followed his gaze and found where it rested. Yuna. He seemed almost entranced, captivated in a way that was very un-Boruto like, and a small mischievous smile appeared on his lips. "So you're in love with Yuna, huh?"

Boruto choked on his drink before turning and delivering a swift punch in his father's gut.

"Stupid! It's not like that!"

The older Uzumaki hunched over and cradled his stomach in pain before recovering quickly and grabbing his son in a headlock and gave him a knuckle rub like he did for some many years.

"You little brat! What's the big idea doing that, all of a sudden?!"

"But it's your fault to begin with! You should've kept your mouth shut!"

"What did you say?!"

"Boruto-kun? I didn't know you were here!"

_Crap!_

Yuna was smiling wide and making her way towards them.

"Where you here the whole time? You were so quiet, I didn't even notice you." She said as she came to stand beside him before dipping her head in a polite bow to the Hokage. "Lord Seventh."

"Yuna," The Hokage greeted with a smile. "Seems like you've completely won over the village children. Maybe you should become a teacher."

She stared at him. Why hadn't that occurred to her? She loved children. She couldn't remember her shinobi life being this much fun as it was to assist the children here at the academy.

"Maybe."

"I should get going. I have a ton of work waiting for me back at the office that needs completing if I have any intention on going home tonight. Keep up the good work you two!" He lifted his hand in farewell and with a poof, he was gone.

"Hey Yuna," Ataru called from behind her. "Let go so we can wrap this up."

"Okay," she called back with a slight wave of her hand, "I'll be there in just a sec."

"You two seem to be getting along considering what happened," Boruto said, nodding towards Ataru.

"What do you mean? We get along pretty much all the time."

"Yeah, but I figured after what you told me yesterday that the two of you would be at odds or something."

"Yesterday? What happened yesterday?" Yuna said, her brows knitted in confusion.

He gazed at her for a moment, with a confused expression.

"You were going to talk to him about the letter Hiroki gave to him, remember?"

She pursed her lips and squinted, as if she were trying to recall. "Letter? I don't recall anything about a letter."

Boruto let out a humorless laugh. "You're kidding, right?"

"No,"

"But you said…" His voice trailed off before adding, "What exactly do you remember yesterday at Thunder Burger?"

"Let's see," she said, putting a slim finger to her chin thoughtfully, "I remember playing shogi with Shikadai. Afterwards, you, Sarada, and Mitsuki showed up. Chōchō begged me to go to the spa with her and after that Hiroki showed up and confessed his feelings for me but I ended up turning him down."

"And nowhere in that confession did Hiroki mention handing a letter to Ataru for you?"

She shook her head. "No."

Worry filled Boruto's eyes. "What happened after?"

"I went back inside, but Chōcho's constant berating started to grate on my nerves so I decided to call it a day and head home to be with Ataru."

"Do you remember me walking with you?"

"Yes."

"Okay great, so you remember stalking off and me asking you what's wrong?"

"What's with all the-"

"Just answer the question."

Yuna groaned in frustration, rolling her eyes heavenward. "Yes, Boruto, I do. I remember telling you that it wasn't any of your business."

"But you went ahead and told me anyway."

"Yeah, it was because of Chōcho."

For a moment, there was only silence, a stillness so dense that they could feel it pressing down on them with suffocating weight until at last Boruto spoke, the incredulous tone clearly audible in his voice.

"No...that's not...Yuna, I distinctly remember you telling me what Hiroki said. You were upset and felt betrayed because Ataru had never kept anything from you."

"Boruto, I never mentioned anything like that yesterday. Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Yuna asked with concern lacing her voice.

Boruto placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her. "Stop messing around. It's not funny."

"I'm not!" She wrestled free from his grasp. "I'm telling you what happened."

"What about the kiss? Do you remember kissing me?"

"How could I forget?" Yuna murmured to him, a mischievous gleam in her eye.

He caught her by the elbow and led her down the street. "C'mon. I'm taking you to Sarada's mom. Maybe she can figure out what's-"

"No," she said.

"Why not?" he said, bewildered and his grip on her arm tightened painfully. "Something is obviously wrong with you."

"Boruto, you're hurting me."

"Let her go," Ataru added from behind her. His voice was unwavering. Serious. "Now."

Boruto pulled Yuna behind him. "You fucking scum," he seethed, blue eyes ablaze with black fire. "What did you do to her?"

"What are you talking about?"

"When Hiroki confessed to Yuna yesterday, he told her about a letter that he had given to you for her. She was upset and was going to confront you about it when she got home. Now all of a sudden she has no recollection of that ever happening."

"Hiroki never handed me a letter, Boruto. He asked for Yuna's whereabouts and that was pretty much it. If he handed me something that important to give to her I would have." He said. "Now let her go."

"Let me guess, the two of you had a falling out and things just weren't going your way. That's what happened, isn't it? And what better time to do it when her parents were away." Boruto snarled. "How'd you do it? Medical ninjutsu or do you have some sort of kekkei genkai?"

Ataru sighed.

"What's your deal, Boruto? Ever since I got here you've done nothing but accuse me of being this  _monster_  whose out to hurt Yuna. You were wrong that time at the convenience store just as you're wrong now."

"I'm not wrong about this," Boruto growled, narrowing his blue eyes at him. "I know what happened yesterday. I know what she told me."

"Listen, you've been under a lot of stress lately and that's a given considering what you went through." The older Katayama said. "Perhaps you should go home and get some rest. It might do you some good."

Boruto chuckled to himself and ran his hands through his hair. "I see what you're doing, Ataru."

"What am I doing, Boruto? All we want, what Yuna wants is to see you get better. But throwing fingers and accusing people of something they didn't do isn't going to fix the problem."

"Boruto…"

Boruto glanced over his shoulder to look at Yuna who reached over and squeezed his hand. "Ataru's right. Please just listen to him. We'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

"You can't go back to him. I swear I'm not crazy and making this stuff up. He did something to you. Please believe me."

"Ataru isn't like that, Boruto. He would never do something to hurt me." She reassured him softly.

"Yuna…"

Yuna squeezed his hand once more before putting some distance between them.

Ataru stepped beside Boruto and whispered in his ear. "You have a week left before returning to active duty, right? I suggest you not do anything foolish."

"Whatever you're doing, stop. Just stay away from Yuna."

All of Ataru's pleasantries disappeared at Boruto's words. This was the second time Boruto had told him to stay away from Yuna and it was even more infuriating than the first time.

"Not a chance."

Ataru turned on his heel and slipped an arm around Yuna's waist, and they slowly began walking back toward the academy, but when Ataru glanced over his shoulder, Boruto saw something in his face that told him that he was right.

Boruto charged. He didn't care what might happen to him. He was beyond that now. This time, Ataru had gone too far.

Ataru was talking to Ryōgi as Boruto lowered his shoulder and slammed into him from the back, just below his neck. He felt Ataru's back whiplash under the impact, the only sound a painful gasp as Boruto drove him forward into the dirt.

"Boruto!" Yuna cupped her hand over her mouth.

Ataru staggered to his feet. He grabbed a kunai from his pouch and backed away as Boruto moved forward. But the last thing Boruto wanted was for Ataru to be able to position his feet before swinging. Boruto charged. Ataru swung the kunai, but the strike was weak and Boruto batted it aside before smashing into Ataru's chest. He wrapped his arms around him, locking them and lifting, using the momentum to drive Ataru back. It was a picture-perfect football tackle, and Ataru was slammed onto his back.

Boruto brought his full weight down on top of Ataru, and head-butted him as hard as he could.

He felt the crunch of bone, but he didn't stop there. Instead, he smashed Ataru with his fist. He hit him again and again, giving in to the rage, unleashing his fury. He swung again, this time aiming for the nose he'd already broken—when suddenly he felt someone seize his arm.

He turned, ready for Ryōgi, but it was Yuna holding his arm, a terrified expression on her face.

"Stop! That's enough!" she screamed. "You're hurting him!"

He barely heard her, but he registered her tugging as she began trying to pull him off.

"Please, Boruto," she said, her voice shaking. "You're at the academy. There are children here. You're scaring them."

As she gradually loosened her grip, he felt his energy drain away. He struggled to stand, the adrenaline leaving him shaky and off balance.

She rushed to Ataru's side and knelt down. The teal eyed woman placed a hand on his cheek as she asked if he was all right, her voice laced with concern.

"I'm ok," Ataru said a little breathlessly after his fight. "I warned you this would happen. It was only a matter of time before he snapped."

She turned back to face Boruto. They are four feet apart. He stepped forward, and instinctively she stepped back. He stopped, and the anguish in his expression was palpable, his blue eyes burning.

"Yuna…"

"You should go," Her voice cracked, and tears pool in her eyes.

"Yuna, I'm-"

"Now!" She shouted at him, and her tears start to trickle down her face.

Ataru got to his feet and brushed off his clothing, allowing himself a smirk of triumph only after he had turned his back to the whiskered teen. He was usually beneath such underhanded tactics, but he refused to lose his future wife to the likes of Boruto, not when the Katayama knew her life would be so much better with him. He would not let that happen. He would make Yuna see Boruto's true colors, and now that she figured out the truth, Ataru would be the obvious choice for her next relationship.

 **A/N:**  Reviews, pretty please?


	15. CHAPTER FIFTEEN

**A/N:** I was hoping to get this chapter out earlier in the week, but with work, family, and my online gaming fam, it somewhat made that impossible. On the bright side, it's a pretty lengthy chapter. Don't expect the next one to be out as fast as this. I have two different versions of the next chapter and I'm currently wondering which one I should choose. After that, it's smooth sailing. :)

Also note, again. As stated in the first chapter I did say story rating will go up. So here soon it will happen. For those who are eager to read those parts, please be patient. It's coming. :P

Thanks for all the love and support I've received since I've posted. It means a lot. I seriously wanna do a contest sometime. I'm almost at 200 followers on QuoteV with 8000 views. That's pretty dang impressive. So let me know what you all think about the contest idea. I haven't figured out what it would be yet, but if you have ideas, feel free to drop them.

Anyhoo, enough of my rambling. Enjoy. And as always, let me know what you think.

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

No! His scream bounced off the bedroom walls and woke him from his nightmare. He was smothered in sweat. Sitting up, he put his head in his hands as he tried to calm his escalated heart rate and erratic breathing. It had been the same for the last four nights. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was 3:00 a.m.

Clambering out of bed, he wandered downstairs and into the kitchen. There, he filled a glass with water and catch sight of himself, dressed only in pajama pants and a salmon colored shirt, reflected in the glass window at the other side of the room. He turned away in disgust.

You made her cry.

You showed her the darkness.

And you scared her off.

This had needled him for days now. Her beautiful face appeared in his mind without warning, taunting him.

Her disappointment, her wounded indignation, and her contempt remain with him. She walked away without a backward glance.

Maybe he should find some way to apologize, then he could forget about this whole sorry episode and get the girl out of his head. Leaving the glass in the sink, he trudged back to bed.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

His alarm jolted to life at 7:15 as he was staring at the ceiling. He hadn't slept and he was exhausted.

Fuck! This is ridiculous.

He could smell the aroma of grilled fish and miso soup wafting from the kitchen as he clambered out of bed to start another monotonous day. After showering, he threw on a pair of pants and a short-sleeved shirt before going down to breakfast.

By the time he got to the table, his mother and little sister were already eating. He took one bite of his food, then pushed his breakfast around on his plate.

"Is the food okay, Boruto?"

"Food is great, mom. I'm just not that hungry."

"Is something wrong?"

He paused. "I screwed things up with her…" he said quietly.

"Her? You mean Sarada?"

Boruto shook his head. "No," he said. "Yuna."

"So it's true?" Himawari piped up.

Boruto gave his sister an exasperated stare. "What's true?"

"That Yuna is your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend."

"She's not?"

"She's a friend...or was anyway."

Himawari put her chopsticks down. "That's not what I heard. Mahiro, one of the boys in my class, was volunteering at the hospital last week and he said he saw you spoon feeding Yuna."

Boruto went crimson as his mouth dropped open, and he gaped at Himawari who grinned like the Cheshire cat.

After a moment of silence between them, the blond haired ninja was able to gather his wits enough to say, "It wasn't like that. She was still recuperating from the chakra exhaustion and was having a hard time feeding herself. That's all."

"Riiiiiight." she said suspiciously. "That's a little lame, especially coming from you Onii-chan."

The dark-blue haired kunoichi obviously didn't believe a word of it as she went back to eating her breakfast.

"You shouldn't be teasing your big brother!"

"But it's the truth." She shrugged nonchalantly.

Putting his elbows on the table, he ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. "What am I going to do?"

"You mean about today?" His mother asked.

"I mean about everything."

He felt his mother lay a gentle hand on his back. "I think maybe your first step should be to go talk to her."

Boruto said nothing.

"Do you remember when you walked Yuna out the other day? I stood on the porch. I was watching you, thinking how natural the two of you seemed together."

"You don't even know her," Boruto said, his voice a mixture of wonder and surprise.

"No," she said. She smiled, her expression tender. "But I know you. And you were happy."

"What if she won't talk to me?" he fretted.

"She will."

"How do you know?"

"Because I was watching, and she was happy, too."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna could feel the burn in her limbs as she pushed her body harder. She was acutely aware of every muscle fiber contracting and stretching as she kicked, blocked and punched. The way she fought her invisible opponent was so graceful and fluid that she almost seemed to be dancing.

The sun shone without mercy, promising another blistering day but still the lone ninja didn't slow down as she focused on the pulling and pulsing of muscle, the feel of the air parting around her hand as she sliced it through empty space towards her invisible opponent. Her body was no longer hers but a tool of Konoha, a tool that must be kept in top condition and so she worked herself mercilessly until the sweat ran down her in rivers. She only stopped when the sun made it too hot to continue.

She flopped down in exhaustion under the shade of a tree, though it didn't offer much refuge from the heat. She interlaced her fingers behind her head and stared at the sky. Breathing a sigh, Yuna felt the tension drain out of her as she forced her body to relax.

Pushing herself like this was going to catch up with her but she couldn't seem to stop. She had always worked extremely hard, but lately she'd been using training as a way to forget everything else. Unfortunately, she couldn't train every waking moment and she had to face reality some time.

"You're working harder than usual today." Her father said as he approached. "Everything okay?"

"Yup, couldn't be better."

Her father smiled, shaking his head as he clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "If there's one thing I know about you is that you're a horrible liar, Sweetheart."

"You're not the first person to tell me that," she smiled sadly, recalling Boruto's words outside the Hokage tower after their first mission together.

He sat down on the grass beside her and said, "Is it something that wouldn't help even if you told your old man?"

"When you took Ataru in, did he ever show signs of having a bloodline limit?" She asked quietly. She rested her chin on her knees, hugging them tightly to her body.

"I take it this has something to do with what transpired between Ataru and your friend at the academy earlier this week?"

Yuna nodded silently.

"Boruto was adamant the two of us had this conversation that I have no recollection of. He was certain that Ataru had done something to make me forget it. I talked to Sarada, and she said Boruto would never do anything this rash unless he had a reason."

Her father tilted his head to one side, his face tense with concern.

"Ataru wouldn't do anything to hurt you, you know that, right?"

"I know," Yuna said solemnly, seeming to curl up into an even tighter ball. "I don't know what to think anymore, Dad."

"I think maybe the first step would be for the both of you to talk," he said and pointed over to a tree where Boruto was crouched.

Yuna frowned.

"Do you want me stay?" he asked, softly.

She shook her head and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "No, it's okay. I got this. Thanks, Daddy."

"Anytime, kiddo."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Boruto landed silently on a tree branch in a soft crouch outside of Yuna's house, he could only think, I don't want to do this. He didn't want to face her, except he also sort of wanted to and knew he had no other choice.

Besides, he had to admit his mother was right. He'd had a lot of fun with Yuna, or at least as much fun as he could have after everything that had occured with Kawaki. And there was something about her that set her apart from any of the girls he'd known. Not so much that she was a Kunoichi and had the body of a model, or even that she was smarter than she let on. Spending time with her made him feel like he was finally, truly, moving forward somehow.

Which meant, of course, that he had to fix things. Steeling himself in case she was still angry, he jumped down from the branch. Outside her house, Yuna and her father were talking beneath a shade tree. Her father said something to Yuna, who turned and saw him, but she didn't smile. Instead, she brushed the grass off her clothes and started toward him.

"What do you want?" she asked, her expression blank.

"I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry," Boruto said, hands in his pockets. "For everything that happened the other day at the academy."

"Okay," she said.

She added nothing, leaving him unsure what to say next. In the silence that followed, she turned away, studying her house.

"We went through hell because of you," she said. "They questioned me, Ataru and even Hiroki because of the accusations you brought against my brother."

He kicked a few pebbles lodged in a crack in the sidewalk, afraid to face her. "Like I said, I know what happened."

She shook her head. "You said your Jōgan can see the visible changes in one's chakra, right?" She turned to look at him, searching his face for answers. "If that's the case, wouldn't it be able to differentiate if Ataru was giving off some type of negative chakra? And if so, were you able to see it?"

He paused. "No, I wasn't."

"Then you have your answer, Boruto."

"Even still, that doesn't change the fact of what you told me. Ataru-"

"Ataru would never do anything to hurt me, Boruto." Yuna interrupted him. "He has saved my life more times than I can count and has been there for me through thick and thin. Not once has he ever done anything to make me think otherwise and I am not about to start now."

"God, Shikadai was right," He groaned. "You are stubborn when it comes to your family."

"You told Shikadai about this?" Her voice is high, incredulous.

"It was before, when I confronted Ataru that day at the convenience store," he muttered, irritated. "I was concerned about him following you and I might have told the others…"

"What? Who else did you tell?"

He paused. "Denki, Injoin and Mitsuki."

"Wow," she let out a humorless laugh. "It's no wonder he doesn't like hanging out with you all. You all hate him."

"It's not that we hate him, Yuna. It's just...there's something off about him. And the fact that you don't remember what happened that night just raises my suspicions about him. Nothing seemed off when you woke up the following morning?"

Fractured memories of that morning flash through her mind. The headache-the soreness-the split second of fear she felt when Ataru had touched her.

_No, no, no. Stop thinking like this._

She shook her head stubbornly. "You're wrong about him. Ataru isn't like that. He's a medic, he heals people for chrissake."

Yuna turned on her heel and began to stalk toward the house. She had only walked a step or two when a large hand around her wrist stopped her.

She found herself looking up into Boruto's warm, blue eyes.

"I know," he said. "I know what it's like to have someone you care about, that you trust with your very life be something they're not."

"I don't think you do."

"I do, more than you know." He sighed. "I don't want that for you, Yuna. If anything happened to you, I-" He stopped.

Yuna's expression changed, softening.

"Nothing is going to happen to me, Boruto," she whispered, coming toward him. "I promise." She curled her arms around his neck and hugged him, her warm cheek against his.

Anxiety turned to relief. It expanded in his chest, lighting him up from head to toe, spreading warmth in its wake. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, burying his nose in her fragrant hair, as relief and a kaleidoscope of colorful emotions fill the void that he'd carried inside him since she left.

"The wonders of teenage years...Great times…"

Yuna looked over in the direction of the teasing voice to find her father standing beside them.

"Wah!?" Yuna gasped and stepped back abruptly, her cheeks reddening slightly at her old man's words.

Her father put his arm around her. "People used to relate young teenagers to new sprouts in spring time," he smiled. "But just try not to flirt too much around here."

"W-who says we're flirting!"

"Darling, you're not teasing them, are you?" Her mother said, appearing beside her.

"Just a little," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Lunch is ready. Would you like to join us, Boruto?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Katayama, but I have plans. I'll see you later, Yuna." he said, and with that, he was gone.

Her father took her elbow and lead her toward the house.

"I take it the two of you managed to patch things up?"

"A little…"

He smirked knowingly, arching a brow. "A little? It sure didn't look that way a moment ago."

"Dad…" she said, a definite warning tone in her voice.

"Oh, Boruto-kun," he said, mimicking her. He wrapped his arms around himself and twisted his neck, pretending to kiss someone. "Nothing is going to happen to me. I promise."

Ok, that was going too far!

"That's it!" Yuna yelled, lunging at him, but her father had been expecting her attack and took off laughing, running full speed towards their house, no doubt expecting her to pursue. And pursue she did.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Ataru's shift seemed to fly since he was much busier than yesterday and every time things began to slow down, Shizune or Sakura would come by and give him something else to do. Ataru didn't really mind. He'd rather be busy than bored. Before he knew it, his shift was over.

He hurried home, spurred on by the thought of seeing Yuna. The second he stepped through the hospital doors and onto the street he sensed a powerful and familiar chakra. His head snapped to the right and he found Boruto himself casually leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest nonchalantly. His blue-eyed gaze however, was intensely focused directly on him. For a moment Ataru thought the Kāma user was simply going to watch him walk by, but then he pushed away from the wall and fell into step beside him.

It was broad daylight on a street with many witnesses and Ataru knew Boruto wouldn't do anything brash in such a place again, but he could still feel an angry aura simmering around his tall, lanky figure.

"You really are as dumb as you look if you're trying to pick another fight with me." the brown haired man said, his voice low, but holding an edge that was clearly threatening.

"You could have erased that kiss between Yuna and I, but you didn't. Why? What's your game?" Boruto made sure his voice was low enough so that only Ataru could hear, but still held enough anger to show his displeasure about what happened.

"Still spouting that nonsense, huh?" He scoffed. "You really are delusional. I honestly don't know what Yuna see's in you."

Boruto abruptly stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "Cut the crap, Ataru," he hissed. "You can fool the others, but you can't fool me. I know you did something to Yuna."

"Where's your proof, Uzumaki? The police force ruled out your little accusation; Hiroki told them exactly what transpired between him and Yuna that afternoon. So what evidence do you have to backup your little theory?"

The Katayama tried to push past the man in his way but a strong hand on his shoulder stopped him, squeezing him just hard enough to be uncomfortable, but not enough to be painful. His blue eyes burned in Ataru's as he spoke. "I have my memory still, you idiot. All I have to do is go to Inojin's mother and have her peer into my memories. Then they'll all know what you really are; a liar and a creep who preys on his little sister."

To his surprise, the man chuckled softly as he swatted Boruto's hand away.

"Go ahead, ask her to look into your memories. But the question is..." he paused and leaned forward and whispered in Boruto's ear. "will she find anything?"

Boruto frowned.

"Good talk," Ataru said smugly before turning to head back in the direction of his home.

"If you touch her again, you're going to be sorry."

This stopped Ataru in his tracks.

"Careful what you threaten, Boruto. You might not be so lucky next time around."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

She couldn't believe it had come down to this.

No doubt Boruto was to blame for this.

All day, she tried in vain to concentrate on her book. She opened it, read a few sentences, and closed it. She opened it again, read the same few sentences, and closed it again. She was totally distracted. She tried to relax, told herself to just forget about everything and enjoy the beautiful day, but it didn't work. She put her book aside and absentmindedly threw pebbles into the creek, all the while thinking about what Boruto had said to her. She was totally conflicted over it. It was the most absurd thing that anyone had ever said to her. She didn't know whether to trust him or not. Her rational side told her to stay away, that he was crazy. But her gut told her to trust him. She saw it in his eyes. She agonized over it for hours until she finally broke down and went to the nearest bookstore and bought a memory journal.

She made her way to her bedroom and placed the small shopping bag down onto her desk before stripping off her clothes and her bra. She rummaged through her drawers looking for her sleepwear.

"Yuna."

She jumped slightly only to find Ataru standing at the door.

For a moment, he could only stare. He knew it was hardly the gentlemanly thing to do but he couldn't help it. He was momentarily hypnotized by her beautiful figure and pictures of working them over with his mouth flashed through Ataru's mind before he was able to purge the image.

He could feel the beginnings of arousal stirring in his loins and grit his teeth, determined to keep himself under control.

"Shit, don't you knock?" She hastily covered herself as best she could, wrapping an arm across her chest to hide her breasts while the other reached into her drawer for a random shirt to cover herself.

Realizing he had been gawking, he quickly averted his eyes, a blush warming his cheeks.

"Who the hell gets undressed with their door wide open?!"

"No one was home!" She cried angrily. As quickly as she could, the kunoichi pulled on her top so the essentials were at least covered.

"I see you still haven't learned my lesson about never letting your guard down." he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, shut up," she muttered. She pulled out her hair tie and ran her fingers through it until it was falling around her face in waves. She pulled the brush from her vanity and began to run it through the long strands. "So, what did you need?"

He advanced towards her, a dark expression on his face. "I heard that damn Uzumaki stopped by," he practically snarled. "What did he want?"

Yuna stood unfazed.

"He stopped by to apologize for his behavior the other day."

"Is that so?"

"Yes," she insisted. She didn't know why, but she really wanted him to believe it.

"Did you tell him to buzz off?"

"No."

His jaw clenched. "What? Why not?"

"He's just being protective."

"What makes him think that you need protecting?"

"You seem to think I do pretty regularly, so maybe it's an epidemic. Maybe I'm the kind of girl that screams damsel in distress. I don't fucking know."

"You should steer clear of him, Yuna."

She rolled her eyes. She was growing tired of his insistence that Boruto was a threat. "He's my friend, Ataru. I'm not going to "steer clear" of him just because the two of you had a falling out."

"He's unstable!"

Yuna massaged her temples wearily. "Ataru, I don't want to fight. Please, I'm tired. Can't we just put this all behind us and move on?"

Ataru paused for a moment to rein in his temper, she thought. "Fine," He held his hand out to her. "Come here."

After a slight hesitation, she took his hand, and he pulled her into his arms. She clutched his arms, taken by surprise. His hand is in her hair, holding her head, and he pulled her against him, his forehead against hers.

"I hate fighting with you," he whispered.

"Well, stop being such an arse."

He chuckled and the captivating sound reverberates through his chest. He tightened his hold on her. "Arse?"

"Ass."

"I prefer arse."

"You should. It suits you."

He laughed once more and kissed the top of her head. She closed her eyes, praying her gut was wrong.

**A/N: Reviews?**


	16. CHAPTER SIXTEEN

A/N: Hey everyone! So sorry for the long wait. Work has literally kept me busy and I have had no time to write whatsoever. Thanks for all the love and support. Things are finally going to pick up, so be ready. Don't forget to drop a review. Let me know what ya think!

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Yuna flopped down on the grass like a rag doll, too tired to be graceful in her descent. The sky was a brilliant blue, the breeze was cool and ground was warm after absorbing the sun's rays for half the day. She closed her eyes and felt those same rays against her skin. It felt so good just to BE, to just relax, especially after working so hard.

She heard a sigh of contentment beside her and looked over to find Ryōgi grinning at her, stretched out in the grass as well.

"Hey, good work today Yuna!" he beamed, radiating boyish charm like a beacon.

"Well what about you?" she replied, rolling on her side to face him. "You didn't get back from your mission until late and you still made it to practice. I'm impressed."

"It's because he's been running on carbohydrates alone during missions this week. It all breaks down into sugar and would be enough to keep anyone wired."

Both figures on the ground looked up to find Ataru standing over them, arms crossed over his chest. Although he was wearing his usual bored expression, the slight smirk he wore betrayed that he was just pestering Ryōgi about his unhealthy food choices for fun.

The kunoichi pushed herself up onto her hands and tugged at the jacket sleeve of the man still standing next to her. "Ataru, sit down, you're blocking my sun."

The Katayama allowed himself to be pulled down next to her. The three members lay on their backs for a moment in silence, soaking up the sun and enjoying each other's company. Yuna felt so relaxed that she could have fallen asleep but an approaching chakra signature alerted her.

Instantly the three were on their feet. Suddenly, an ANBU in full uniform dropped from the tree to the ground in front of them.

"Team 9," the anonymous man said from behind the red and white bird mask. "You three are wanted at the Hokage tower immediately for a mission briefing."

Ataru nodded in affirmation and said, "Understood. Come on you two, you heard the man."

They took to the roof tops and quickly made their way over to the Hokage's tower. Yuna lifted her hand and rapped lightly on the door with her knuckles, not wanting to barge in if the whiskered blonde was in the middle of something important.

"Come in." a strong, masculine voice called and the kunoichi immediately obeyed. She entered the office, seeing three others she was already familiar with standing in front of the large wooden desk. Team 7.

"Don't tell me—you've managed to get yourself into more trouble and had your time extended for another week," Yuna teased Boruto, and he scowled playfully at her.

"If you must know, I'm here for a mission. As of today, I'm officially back on active duty."

"That's amazing—congratulations!" Delighted for him, she hugged him.

When Boruto glanced over at Ataru, he's watching them like a hawk, his eyes hooded and speculative, his mouth a hard, impassive line.

"I apologize for interfering with any plans you all might have had on your days off. But you're the only ones available at this time to complete this mission." The Hokage apologized, keeping a formal tone.

"No need to apologize, Nanadaime. You're not interrupting any plans of ours at all." Ataru said. "Please, begin your briefing."

"The Land of Water has requested our aid in a small matter."

Eyebrows rose in curiosity at what the allied village was having problems with that they couldn't handle on their own. Somehow though, they had a feeling that the 'small matter' would not be as such, especially when they had their own trained military that consisted of shinobi and was calling for their aid.

"You six are to go and help protect a travelling envoy that is leaving back home from the Land of Water."

"The rendezvous point is marked here in this map," The elder Nara stepped forward and handed Boruto the folded map.

Yuna raised a hand.

"Yes, Yuna?" The Hokage said.

She lowered her hand back down to her side and said, "Forgive me if this is too forward, Hokage-sama, but shouldn't they have enough shinobi for a simple guarding assignment such as this one? This request for aid makes them sound...weak."

"Oi, Yuna!" Ataru whispered harshly at her side.

"Well, it's true," she shrugged.

"Yuna," the Seventh began, understanding Yuna's view on the matter, "the ties we have with the Land of Water may be old, but in order to keep those ties and strengthen them, we must aid them when they are in need, and they in turn do the same for us."

"However, there is a reason why they're requesting outside help," The Hokage continued, "During this envoys visit, strange freak accidents have been occurring, and all of them have happened with the envoy on the scene. Council members of their village believe that someone had been trying to kill the envoy in attempt to sabotage negotiations between their village and another's. Due to the uncertainty of the situation, they asked that a third party be brought in to investigate, that being us. They hope that the one responsible will be quickly captured, and they believe that he or she will make one final attempt on the envoy's life as he travels out of their country and back to his home."

"So, we'll be tailing from the shadows then, I assume? Sarada inquired.

"Yes," the Hokage confirmed. "You will first be meeting with the envoy and get to know him by appearance. Keep a sharp tab on the shinobi with him, along with any attendants that he may have. No one is free from speculation."

The two teams nodded in understanding.

"You'll be working as a 6-man team led by Ataru."

The Diamond Kunoichi's gaze shifted from her brother to her whiskered friend and immediately it felt as if the room's temperature had dropped several degrees thanks to the icy stares they were exchanging. She noticed Boruto's hands clench a little, slightly wrinkling the map and the smile on Ataru's face had turned a little too smug, not matching his glaring eyes at all. The tension between them was suddenly so great that Yuna swore she could feel it pressing down upon her.

"Why him?" Boruto asked in frustration. "There are other members standing before you who are perfectly capable of leading a mission such as this."

"Boruto," The elder Uzumaki admonished. "You just returned to active duty today, so don't push it. And be that as it may, all of you are still Chūnin, except for Ataru. As of today, Ataru has been promoted to a Jōnin."

Yuna gasped in surprise.

"Oh...Ataru...Wow. Congratulations!" Crap, this sucks. I'm seriously falling behind...

Ataru nodded, his expression serious.

"The six of you will leave in the morning," The Nanadaime announced. He turned his head to Boruto and gave him a condemning glance. "And I trust you will be on your best behavior."

The younger Uzumaki gave a curt nod.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Well then," he said, glad this meeting was finally over. "You are dismissed"

The six leaf shinobi bowed before leaving the room to prepare for their newest mission. Yuna was almost out the door when the Nanadaime stopped her.

"Yuna?"

She turned to face him.

"Look after Boruto for me, will ya?"

"Always." Yuna smiled warmly at him.

After their briefing, Ataru and Ryōgi set out for the nearest ninja tool shop to restock on supplies. Boruto offered to talk her home and she accepted. Sarada and Mitsuki took off in the opposite direction and she called goodbye to both of them as walked away.

"So, how does it feel to be back on active duty?"

Boruto grinned. "Not gonna lie, I'm excited."

His fingers brushed hers as they walked. A pleasant little zing of electricity ran up her arm. He didn't appear to notice. She wondered with amusement what he'd do if she slipped her hand into his. She liked touching him. Liked the smell of him, and the look of him. Resisting the impulse to twine her fingers in his, she said, "When we get back we should celebrate. My treat."

"Actually," he said, scratching his whiskered cheek nervously. "I was wondering if you'd like to come by my place next week. It's my birthday and my mom is throwing a small dinner party to celebrate."

Yuna's heart slammed into her mouth. Dinner at Boruto's house? And it's his birthday nonetheless?! What do I get him?! What does he even like?!

"I mean...you don't have to if you don't want to."

She tilted her head to the side. "Of course I'll go." Yuna clapped her hands. "I can't wait. I'll finally be able to meet your little sister." Boruto smiled a dazzling head-cocked-to-one-side smile, and Yuna's stomach pole vaults over her spleen. She couldn't help but reflect his glorious smile back at him. When they arrived at her house, her father was finishing up the repairs on their house. As he saw them walking together, his mouth dropped open and the paint brush he was holding dropped from his hand. He jumped off the scaffold and quickly made his way inside.

"Nariko!"

Oh, dad...

As the door swung shut behind them, Yuna heard the burst of excited chatter. If Boruto heard it, he appeared to pay it no attention. Instead, he led her up the pathway to her front door. She noticed her parent's faces at the window. She was debating whether to acknowledge them with a wave or simply ignore them.

"I'm guessing you've made them curious," he said.

She shook her head. "It's not me they're wondering about."

He chuckled. "Ah."

She took a step toward the house, then stopped and put her hand on his arm. In an innocent gesture, she kissed him on the cheek. Her lips were soft and the scent of her engulfed him, lingering after she pulled back.

"Thanks for walking me home," she murmured. "I'll see you in the morning, bright and early."

Boruto felt her hand leave his arm, and then in a whisper she vanished.

~MINE TO TAKE~

She knew she should be sleeping since she was in for a busy day tomorrow, but she just couldn't make her mind stop reeling with endless thoughts about Ataru's promotion to Jōnin.

A part of her was ecstatic for him, he deserved it. But a part of her was...envious of him. Yuna had spent her entire life training, but somehow Ataru always managed to be several steps ahead of her. Prodigies like him made everything look so simple.

Yuna shook her head. Feeling jealous was irrational, because above everything, she wanted him to be happy.

Ataru emerged from the hallway, interrupting her reverie.

"Trouble sleeping?"

"Just a little," She sat up cross-legged on the edge of the bed. Ataru couldn't help but notice how it made her T-shirt ride higher up her thighs. The simple white garment was long enough that he couldn't tell if she was wearing anything underneath. The thought that she might be naked beneath the shirt was thrilling. It would be so easy to push her down onto the mattress and slide a hand up her thigh until he reached her sweet center, dipping a finger inside and feeling that heavenly place.

"Congratulations again on the promotion. I'm happy for you. You deserve it." She said. "Though I'm a little miffed you didn't say something to me sooner."

"It was supposed to be a surprise," Ataru said as he made his way over to her. He sat down on the edge of the bed. "I wanted you to be the first to know, but it didn't exactly pan out that way."

Yuna was silent as he continued.

"I took the exam before we left Sunagakure. Things became official when the paperwork was transferred here and finalized with the Hokage."

She lowered her gaze. "I just wish I could be there along with you…"

Ataru placed his hand on her knee. "And you will be. I know more than anyone just how hard you've trained and how far you're willing to go for others."

Slowly, his fingers began to travel up her thigh. Her stomach tensed. An uncomfortable sensation prickled under her skin.

"That's what makes you so amazing." His voice was low and gravelly.

"Ataru," she whispered, eyeing him warily.

"Sorry," he apologized. Withdrawing his hand, he stood from the bed. He ran his hand through his unruly hair. He looked frustrated, angry. Finally he said, "I'm going to have a shower."

Yuna nodded mutely, unsure of what to make of Ataru touching her. As he left her bedroom and closed the door, she let out a breath that she'd been holding. She was shaky and very, very tired, monumentally confused.

~MINE TO TAKE~

Once inside the haven of the tiny room, Ataru rested his forehead against the closed door, wondering just how much more of this he could bear.

Wearily, he stripped off his clothes, feeling relief as his restrained member sprung free from its confines and bounced lightly against his stomach. He reached inside the shower, hand hovering over the cold water knob but after a moment's hesitation, cranked on the hot before stepping into the spray.

As much as he knew it was wrong, he couldn't afford a night of sleep deprivation while thoughts of her danced in his head. The memory of her skin under his fingertips was still fresh in his mind and it only made him throb all the more painfully.

He would probably go to hell for this, even though he was probably destined to end up there anyways after living the life he had, but his conscious still warred inside his head even as he grabbed his manhood in one hand and began to pump his length in long hard strokes under the showers hot spray.

He tried to block her image from his mind as he neared release, focusing on faceless women doing wonderful things to him. He felt his stomach muscles tense and spasm as blissful sensations rolled through him and began to move his hand faster as he felt his much needed orgasm building inside of him.

Because of a long dry spell and the recent visual stimulation provided by the woman in the other room, he could feel the immense intensity of his peak coiling in his stomach and braced his free hand against the tiled wall in preparation, letting the cool surface support him fully as his knees began to weaken. He grit his teeth against the searing pleasure and continued to stroke his swollen shaft as images of women that he insisted were definitely not Yuna flash in his mind's eye.

Yet when he finally reached his pinnacle, his hot, spurting seed carrying all the pent up frustration of the past few months, he realized that the faceless woman in his mind had long, beautiful black hair.

~MINE TO TAKE~

"Ohayo, minna!"

Team seven smiled as Yuna came bounding up to them, not surprised at being greeted with such enthusiasm so early in the morning.

Ataru blew out a breath, apparently not sharing Yuna's mid-morning peppiness.

"Morning, Yuna." Sarada replied, giving her a wave.

Yuna slipped her arm through Boruto's and rested her head on his shoulder. "Neh, Boruto-kun, where we're going it's snowing, so let's get lovey-dovey under the same blanket to stay warm."

Boruto flushed. She's teasing him? He blinked at her, unsure what to say.

"Yuna, stop messing around." Ataru admonished her, and he's rewarded with a full-on Yuna Katayama pouty grimace.

Yuna released Boruto. "Oh, don't be such a stiff. A little teasing never hurt anyone."

"We don't have time for you to goof around if we want to make it to the rendezvous point on time." His tone is unexpectedly harsh.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she muttered under her breath. What's his problem?

"While in the Fire Country, the risk of encountering enemies is low and we'll make better time," Ataru instructed as Yuna adjusted her pack on her back. "Once we get to the edge of Fire territory, be on full alert. We may be allies with the surrounding areas, but it's best to be cautious just in case."

The five nodded in affirmation before passing through the giant green gates and into the lush forest that encompassed their village.

~MINE TO TAKE~

"Achoo!"

Yuna let out a loud sneeze and she dug into her back pouch for a handkerchief and found none. Instead, she dabbed at her nose with her gloved hand. Transitioning from a hot climate to cold, she hoped she wasn't coming down with a cold. "Excuse me," she said.

Ataru reached into his jacket poct and handed her his handkerchief. "You are always forgetting something," he scolded her. "Either gloves, or handkerchief, or losing your headband."

"Sorry," she grinned sheepishly.

They made it to the meeting point early that evening and were greeted with a large litter that was being held by six bearers. It was a very elaborate carrier that looked to be expensive. Judging by the looks of the carrier alone, they could tell that wherever this envoy was from, that the country in which he resided in was wealthy. Two additional litters that looked nearly as large and grand, were stationed behind the first; litters with his many belongings most likely. Three four-man cells of shinobi from the Land of Water stood around the envoy in formation; one to the rear, and one on each side.

"I appreciate you all being here in a timely fashion," The captain of the entire group surged forward and held out his hand, which Ataru shook. He had light-coloured, spiky hair and a dark-coloured beard. He wore the standard attire of a Kirigakure shinobi inclusive of flak jacket, pin-striped leg and arm-guards, along with a forehead protector. Yuna eyed the man suspiciously. Something about him instantly told her not to trust him.

"It wouldn't exactly be professional if we weren't." Ataru replied.

"Oh, they're here?!" a muffled voice sounded from the first carrier as shuffling was heard from inside. "Set me down, I want to see!" the person inside ordered in an excited tone.

The six men holding up the litter quickly complied and sat the carrier down without hesitation. The gold doors slid open and a young man, with a painted face and wearing robes, showing his rank and status as an envoy to his land's daimyō, crawled out of his fancy box and stood to face his large escort with a fan in front of his face, allowing only his eyes and bridge of his nose to show for the time-being.

"Sir, you shouldn't be out in the open like that!" The captain anxiously spoke as he made his way toward the envoy to guard him.

"Oh nonsense," he waved his hand dismissively. "with so many of you around, I'll be alright, assuming you continue to keep vigilant." The tone of his voice suggested that the man before them was a selfish snob. "So, we have ourselves some shinobi from the Leaf, huh?" He eyed the six from Konoha, stopping lastly on Yuna.

Hearts practically leapt from his eyes. He quickly frolicked to be by the kunoichi's side, with his long dark hair following behind. "My dear," he spoke in a voice that seemed very different now, as if he was trying to make a good first impression. "What's your name?" He took her hand and brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles tenderly, his scorching eyes intent on hers.

Somehow, Yuna managed to curl her lips upward in a semblance of a smile.

"Yuna Katayama," she murmured.

"I'm Yūhei," he said. "I've set my eyes on many lovely flowers before, but I must say, you make all the others seem like ugly weeds."

Ew, gross. Yuna glanced anxiously at her teammates, then back to Yūhei.

"Um, thanks I guess…"

Ataru stepped forward. "We'd appreciate it if you wouldn't make such advances towards our colleague." His tone was deliberately clipped.

Yūhei turned his head slowly to face the five Konoha shinobi, noting the upset and disgusted looks on their faces, before giving them a 'hn,' as he shrugged them off, unhappy with their presence. He frowned, then turned his attention back to Yuna. "Until next time, my beautiful flower," he breathed, his voice full of promise.

Her stomach repulsed at the thought.

He turned and headed back to his personal carrier, letting out a heavy sigh as he did so. If only the beautiful kunoichi had been sent on her own. He'd have a far better chance at wooing her if so many other males weren't around. He could see the protectiveness that three of them had, but could see that it was even stronger in the blue-eyed and brown-eyed shinobi. The other, the red head, he didn't see it as strongly in that one, but it was still there. Such difficult and annoying obstacles he would have to get through to have his little blossom. He always, always, got what he wanted, and no one would keep him from getting that exotic rarity he had just laid his selfish and greedy eyes on.

A/N: Currently working on the next chapter. I will have more time since I'll be on a mini vacation starting this Wednesday. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!


	17. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

**A/N:**  Hey everyone! Next installment is here, finally! I went ahead and broke down this chapter into two parts. The next part is almost complete and as soon as I finish it, like here in a day or two, I will upload. I will not make you all wait. Thanks for all those who've favorite/followed/reviewed Mine to take. It gives me so much motivation. Please keep it coming. :) Shout out to Jazzie's Art Corner on Facebook for my amazing new writer's avatar. I love it!

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

"Neh, Boruto, why didn't you do anything to stop that envoy perv earlier?"

Sarada removed her headband and ran her fingers through her hair. She pulled the brush from her pack and began to run it through the short strands while she thought back over the day's events.

Boruto, Sarada, and Yuna had taken shelter in a small cabin not far from where their teammates were stationed. Ataru had decided it would be in everyone's best interest to split the group into two-three man cells. One team would keep watch over Yūhei, while the other rested up before switching shifts.

"Yuna can take care of herself. She doesn't need my help every time someone new comes around and tries to socialize." Boruto answered, giving a reason that he prayed would convince her.

Sarada scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Now, that's a lie if I ever heard one," she said. "You and I-hell, everyone knows that you wouldn't simply leave her to herself like that. You're always watching out for her, even when you don't think you are. You can't stop with the staring, no matter how discreet it is, or looking over your shoulder or around corners wondering if maybe she's in a tight spot and needs you to bail her out. Like with Ataru-"

"Sarada, enough." Boruto tried to stop Sarada's rant, even if it was for his best interest.

"No, you need to shut up and just listen. Why can't you just do something about this so you'll stop ripping yourself into two? You're either just her friend with no intentions of starting something, or you want to be there for her as more than that. It's obvious she adores you and you the same. When she's around, you smile and look so happy. It's like I'm looking at the old Boruto again."

"It's complicated. You wouldn't understand."

"You're the one who's making it complicated, Boruto." Sarada sighed. "It's over now. Everything that happened with Kara, with Kawaki, it's over. Can't you just let yourself be happy for once?"

They continued to stare at each other through the curtain of flames, neither moving even when a piece of wood deep within the pile popped and sent a shower of orange sparks into the air.

"Just be upfront with her and see what happens."

"Like you did with Kawaki?" he said teasing her.

Sarada flushed and tossed her hairbrush at him, which he easily caught. "Shut up!"

He chuckled and stood up. "Hai, hai." He returned her brush which she shoved back into her pack. "Get some rest Sarada," he said calmly, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I'm going to go see where Yuna ran off too and then settle down as well before we change shifts."

Her eyes flicked from the fire to his lanky form and smirked.

"Good luck." She said in a singsong voice.

Wincing at the cold that assaulted his body, Boruto pulled on his cloak before heading out the door and into the lush forest that encompassed their cabin, curious to see just what on earth the teal eyed woman was up to and what he saw made him smile.

There she was, radiant and beautiful, her face upturned to sky with her arms reached out in front of her, dancing and twirling in the snow in the middle of the forest clearing.

He leaned against the tree, watching her for a moment until she sensed his presence and turned around.

"Can you believe it's snowing?" she asked with childlike excitement, her eyes shining like emeralds as she stuck out her tongue to catch a falling snowflake.

Boruto chuckled and shook his head.

"Yuna, you're not even wearing a jacket, we should get back before you freeze," he said, but his voice was as warm as his smile that he couldn't wipe off his face.

"But I haven't seen snow since I was a little girl," she said, oblivious to the bits of snow that were sticking to her hair. "I can't remember it ever looking so pretty."

He shook his head and took of his cloak.

"Here. I don't want you catching a cold." He slipped it over her shoulders and Yuna hugged it around herself, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply.

' _It's over now. Everything that happened with Kara, with Kawaki, it's over. Can't you just let yourself be happy for once? Just be upfront with her and see what happens.'_

Sarada's words rang in his head.

_I want her._

Here.

Now.

Yuna blinked up at him as he draped his cloak over her shoulders. His cloak was warm, far too big, and it smelled of him...delicious.

She wanted to say something, anything, but she felt as if she were drowning in those blue eyes, her words seeming to dry up. Instead, she watched as he leaned toward her, hesitating for an instant. His head tilted slightly, and the next thing she knew, she was tilting her head, too, their faces growing closer.

Their lips met—warm, soft. Perfect. She drank in his scent. In an instant his hand was tangled in her hair, keeping her in the kiss she had no wish to escape from. She leaned into him, moaning softly, surrendering to the onslaught of sensations that having his mouth on her conjured.

The tip of his tongue grazed her lips, coaxing them open to his. She parted for him on demand, eager to know if he tasted as good as he smelled. His tongue darted in and found hers, taunting her with tiny licks that gave way to deeper strokes. He swallowed her small gasps, kissing her deeper, pulling her closer.

The hand that wasn't guiding their kiss teased the exposed flesh between her blouse and her skirt, roaming over the jut of her hip bone. Yuna's stayed fisted in his hair and splayed over his chest. They're both breathless when he pulled away.

"Wow," she breathed as her lips curved into a smile.

He laughed a little into her neck. "Yeah," he agreed.

"What in the hell do you two think you're doing?"

Ataru stood in the clearing, wide-eyed.

Boruto stepped back abruptly, leaving her dizzy and momentarily confused. She witnessed him flush as he ran his fingers through his hair, seemingly embarrassed at having been caught making out in front of her older brother.

"We're on a mission and the two of you have your tongues down each other's throats!"

"We're not on watch duty at the moment. This is our time and how we choose to utilize is up to us, not you Ataru." Yuna retorted bluntly, direct as ever.

Abruptly, Ataru stepped forward and clasped her arm in a firm grip. Boruto immediately stepped forward, but halted when Yuna waved him back. She didn't want him to get into anymore trouble.

She turned her focus back to Ataru and raised her eyebrow at him and was about to tell him to remove his hand from her arm, but the sudden frosty glint in his icy brown eyes stopped her in her tracks.

"Don't start with your smart mouth here, Yuna. Or the report on your performance for this mission will be highly unpleasant. Do you understand?"

She swallowed instinctively.  _Okay._ She blinked rapidly, chastened. Actually, it's his tone of voice, rather than the threat, that intimidated her.

"Well?"

"Yes."

"Yes, what?" He glowered at her.

"Yes, Taichou."

"Good," he paused as he stared at her. "Now, head back to the others and trade shifts with Mitsuki."

Yuna nodded meekly. She wasn't sure how much longer she could survive in his proximity. His threats and his warped brand of brotherly love were suffocating her. The urge to scream simmered below the surface. If she didn't leave soon, she was going to boil over.

Finally he released her. She turned as gracefully as she could when she wanted to run as hard as her legs would take her. Instead, she kept a steady normal pace back to the others, never looking back.

"If you keep that up, the only thing you'll succeed in doing will be pushing her away." Boruto said behind Ataru.

"If I wanted your opinion, I would've asked. Otherwise, shut your mouth and mind your own business." the Katayama answered shortly as he turned to face him.

"I could honestly care less if you did or not. But when it comes to Yuna, it is my business."

"She's hardly a delicate flower and I doubt she needs your protection," Ataru snorted. "Not that your protection is worth much; you couldn't even save an entire village without multiple casualties against one man."

Boruto abruptly stepped in front of him. "You know nothing," he hissed. "And my relationship with her has nothing to do with you. I'm asking you to stop pursuing a woman that clearly has no interest in you."

Ataru bristled at his words, brown eyes narrowing angrily. "Whatever issue Yuna has with me will stay between her and myself. You don't need to intervene."

"I will intervene, because you are harassing the woman I love."

Out of all the things Boruto could have said, he had not been expecting  _that_.

"I don't care if you disapprove, but I love her and I will do what I have to in order to protect her. So understand that when I tell you to leave her alone, I mean it."

Ataru tried to play off his surprise with a scoff. "Leave her alone," he repeated with a dark chuckle before his tone became malicious and his face twisted into something so evil that even the devil himself would fear. "Leave her alone? She's mine, Uzumaki. No matter where she goes or what she does, she is always going to be mine."

There was nothing more that needed to be said between the two.

Boruto was ready for a fight. He never went looking for one, but this is one he was craving for. Ataru had been the bane of his existence ever since they met and Boruto was itching to get rid of him.

Activating his Kāma, Boruto placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, preparing to engage the elder Katayama in combat.

"I guess there's no reason for either of us to hold back then, is there?" Ataru smirked, making several rapid hand signs. When he completed the hand seals, he held out his hands out in front of him, palms facing toward Boruto and glowing green. "All I need is one good hit."

"Boruto."

A woman's voice rang out behind Boruto. Sarada dropped from the trees to the ground behind him.

"Sarada."

He doubted whether he'd said the word out loud until Sarada answered, his eyes never losing focus on Ataru.

"We should go. Let's head back to the cabin and get some rest while we can, okay?"

Silence.

Sarada put a hand on Boruto's shoulder. His eyes flashed to hers, as if the small touch had broken the trance.

"C'mon. This isn't the time or place to fight; we're on a mission."

The blond haired man nodded in response and slowly the seal on his body began to recede as he turned to leave with Sarada.

When his opponent was finally gone, the elder Katayama gritted his teeth and sliced through a nearby tree with his chakra scalpel.

"Dammit…" he growled. "Fucking dammit!"

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"I said I won't leave from here unless I have my flower by my side guarding me!" Yūhei whined from outside his carrier, refusing to step foot in it.

"But Yūhei-sama, she and her team have to keep their distance and keep watch on the surrounding area for any enemies. Please be cooperative in this matter. The documents you are taking back with you must be delivered to your Daimyō safely."

"If my wishes are not complied with soon, then I will be sure to sway my lord from following through with these negotiations." Yūhei threatened, causing several of the Kirigakure shinobi to exchange nervous looks among themselves.

Yūhei smirked from behind his fan. "That's right, as the royal envoy, the lord's final decision is based on my experience and opinion of your village."

"What seems to be the problem here?" Ataru flicked onto the scene with Ryōgi.

There was no way in hell Yuna was going to show herself to this girlish-snob.

"I want that kunoichi to follow along by my side, and I won't leave from here until I get my wish." Yūhei snapped his fan shut and crossed his arms like a pouting child.

Ryōgi edged over and whispered to Ataru. "Wouldn't a clone be sufficient enough to shut this guy up?"

"Even if she did that, then the enemy would know that the rest of us would be close by."

"It wouldn't matter though, because if the one trying to kill this idiot is already among this group, then he already knows about us. We might as well just travel with the envoy instead of tailing."

Ataru gave an irritated sigh; Ryōgi had a good point. "She's not going to like this." He mumbled.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"You want me to do  _what_?!"

"Yuna, calm down," Ataru said firmly. "I will not have you throwing a fit on this mission, understand?"

The kunoichi seemed to wilt a little, smoothing her teal skirt as she struggled to regain her composure.

"Whatever," she muttered.

She let her eyes dart sideways to the blue eyed man sitting casually on a nearby rock. He gave her an apologetic look.

Little did she know, that despite his relaxed posture, Boruto was having just as hard of a time with this decision than she was, but he refused to show it.

"This guy is really starting to become a pain." Sarada frowned.

"The sooner we get him safely to his home, the better." Ataru said. "It's only two days from here with the kind of pace his bearers have been set to."

"That's assuming something doesn't go wrong," Mitsuki said.

"Agreed."

Yuna pushed off the tree and strode forward. "Whatever, let's just get this over with."

Yūhei's eyes lit up as soon as the object of his desires flickered out of nowhere, followed by the other five on her team. At this, he frowned slightly.  _'Pfft, them again.'_ He thought with deep animosity.

' _Ugh, him again.'_ Yuna inwardly rolled her eyes and subconsciously leaned over to be closer to her teammates.

"Ah, my beautiful flower, you've come!" Yūhei pranced over to be with his precious flower once again, but was stopped when Boruto took a step forward and blocked his path, causing Yuna to look to Boruto's back with a slight surprised look.

She knew he would be there for her if she needed it, but she wasn't expecting him to act so swiftly and physically put himself between her and Yūhei.

"Yūhei-sama, while we've agreed to be closer at your request, our captain's order were clear yesterday, were they not? She's not here for you to mingle with. She has a job to do." Boruto said with a stern voice.

God, I'm such a hypocrite, he thought. Yet he could not bring himself to regret it.

Yūhei turned away after a moment with a huff and stormed to his litter. "Fine, as long as she's following alongside me." The litter door slammed shut and was lifted up in the air to be carried by the six bearers that had been assigned to him.

The other two carriers were also lifted up and took their position, ready to follow close behind. The three cells from Kirigakure all let out a collective sigh of relief and annoyance.

"Thank you for your help on solving Yūhei-sama's problem for the moment." The captain of the Kirigakure unit nervously thanked.

He had been introduced yesterday, shortly after their arrival and after the small scene with Yūhei, as Captain Ryouta. He was a bit too nervous to be a captain, in Yuna and everyone else's opinion, but given the circumstances and the stakes, they could understand.

"Alleviating his problem has only created more for the rest of us," Sarada said and turned to take up a position on the other side of the group.

Ryōgi too turned to take up a position, leaving Boruto and Yuna to take up theirs.

"You didn't have to go out of your way to help me like that," Yuna mumbled a bit after Captain Ryouta went back to his post. "I would have been able to handle him myself you know."

"I know," he replied. "But...I didn't like the way he was looking at you."

A smile graced Yuna's lips. "You didn't like the way he was looking at me?" she teased. "What are you, my father?"

"No," Boruto replied quickly, giving her a sheepish smile of his own. "It's just that...I don't want to share you, even though you're not even mine."

Yuna reached over and squeezed his hand.

"I've been yours ever since that first day we met in the Hokage's office," she said softly, before initiating another kiss. It was long and tender, and when they parted, Boruto couldn't help but give her a rare smile that made her knees weak and her stomach flutter.

"Come on," he said. "Let's take up our positions. I'll stay close to Captain Ryouta and try to get a bit of information out of him about what's been going on."

Yuna narrowed her eyes a bit. "Just be careful around him, okay?"

"You sensed it too, huh?" Boruto asked.

Boruto hadn't said anything yesterday, but the Kirigakure captain seemed a bit off to him somehow. It was just a feeling he got and it was for that reason that he hadn't brought it up to anyone. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but he figured since he had been the one to stand out to him first, that he'd keep a close eye on him.

"He has this look in his eyes," she said quietly. "I understand the Kirigakure shinobi are nervous because of whatever negotiations are going on, but that man...his eyes, they don't—"

"Yuna. Stop talking and head to your post," Ataru interrupted her, his voice cold and hard.

 _Yes, sir._  He is so domineering. She rolled her eyes but did as she was told. The day was still young, but it was shaping up to be a long one.

 **A/N:** Reviews, pretty please?


	18. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

**A/N:**  As promised, the second half of the previous chapter. Thanks for all the feedback from the last chapter, every single comment made me smile. I know you all want Ataru to be found out, but it'll come. I promise.

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

"So, if you don't mind me asking," Boruto began as he walked alongside Captain Ryouta and his part of the unit. "What exactly are the negotiations between your village and the Land of Berries intel?"

"There are certain areas of our country that the Land of Berries wishes to access. They hope to be able to expand their line of product and business in order to become even wealthier than they already are." He explained. "Our village believes that allowing this will help us to grow more than we already have. I say that it's only going to cause a surplus of people that our country's economy won't be able to support. Sure, it may be alright for a while, but if something was to happen and the Land of Berries backs out mid-contract, then so many people will be without jobs. Our country may be big, but there wouldn't be enough of us to spread out and earn the proper amount of finances to support the surplus."

"I see. So then, do you think that's the reason why someone has been trying to kill the envoy? So that the Land of Berries will stop any ideas of wanting to come to your country?" Boruto tactfully tried to gain more information.

Ryouta simply shrugged. "Who knows? Perhaps someone is just trying to start up an unnecessary war between the two countries."

It made sense what Ryouta was saying and Boruto understood the man's point of view. There were several different factors to take into consideration if the negotiations between Kirigakure and the Land of Berries were accepted. And if approved, Kirigakure would indeed become a more powerful nation.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"Hmph, your teammates are rather annoying you know? Always trying to rain on my parade." Yūhei spoke in a snobbish manner to Yuna after about half an hour after they had set off.

He had slid his door open a bit in order to see Yuna, much to her dismay. The countryside was beginning to become a little rougher to trek through, showing how close they were becoming to the border. In fact, they were walking on a slightly narrow ridge with a deep chasm off to the side down below. It wasn't terribly narrow though; it was wide enough for the width of the bearers, plus the width of three people walking shoulder to shoulder.

"Why does a beauty such as you mix in such a profession anyway? Why, I can just imagine you becoming a star-a main attraction at some grand theatre. You my dear are celebrity material." Yuna continued to walk next to Yūhei's carrier in silence, feeling further annoyed and irritated by his words.

She hated that he wished her to be someone other than herself; for her to step into a world that she knew she didn't and would never be suited for. She was more than content and proud of who she was and what she was doing with her life; protecting her adopted village and the people who resided in it.

"If you let me pluck you up out from that barren field of yours, I can make all of that possible for you. Those teammates of yours shouldn't be breathing your air, especially that blonde one I saw you kissing earlier. He's too low in the ground to be in your presence."

Yuna snapped her head to face Yūhei as she clenched her fists. The look on her face made Yūhei flinch back and hold up a large sleeve over his already, half-covered face. He had definitely gone too far with his snobbish speech. Just as she was about to bring a carbon fist up to grab the girly man by his collar, a large hand grabbed her by her wrist and gently drew her back, causing her to stop, being slowly left behind by the litter which contained the object of her hatred at the moment.

"Let go. I'm going to beat that man within an inch of his life!" Yuna growled out to Boruto.

"What's wrong?" He gently demanded as he grabbed hold of Yuna's other wrist and turned her around to face him.

"He can say whatever the hell he wants about me, but I will not tolerate him insulting my friends..." Yuna paused, taking a moment to calm down. "I won't stand for him insulting you."

Boruto smiled, and lifted his hand to trace her cheek with his fingers, but before he could complete the action, an explosion sounded, quickly gaining their attention. Their group, they had both realized, were in front of them several yards ahead, with a hail of small boulders from the explosion, which had occurred just above them, to rain down on them. They quickly dashed forward to help the group and protect the envoy. As they reached the rear end of the group, several enemy shinobi appeared and began to attack.

"Rogue shinobi!" Sarada warned everyone as she began to defend.

"Not only that, they're from the Land of Berries." Mitsuki said and drew his own kunai from an unknown pocket before rushing forward to join the fight.

Shuriken and kunai were flying in all directions, along with rocks as another explosion sounded, this time, from above the envoy's litter.

"The envoy!" Ataru exclaimed after his kunai had cut down an enemy.

A kunai whizzed by him, just past his ear, embedding deeply into the rouge's jugular, just as he was about to bring down his own kunai and stab Ataru from behind. He glanced over his shoulder and followed the direction of where the kunai had come from, giving a look of surprise to Boruto as he gave a quick nod of his head before darting off to assist the others in their fight. He quickly shook himself out of his surprise and turned back around with his kunai to slice down another oncoming enemy.

Yūhei squealed out of fear after sliding his door open slightly and coming face to face with a shower of earth. He squeezed his eyes shut; waiting to be smashed to smithereens, but slowly opened them after a moment of nothing, only hearing the sounds of electrical sparks, In front of him, stood Yuna, using her flare style to shield him and the litter. The triangular formation was a wide one, in order to fully shield the litter properly as well as the frightened attendants whose legs were shaking with fear. They quickly dropped the litter, gaining a small yelp of surprise from Yūhei from inside, before scrambling out of the way after the shield faulted a bit under the pressure that the weight of the boulders posed.

"Yuna!" Boruto called out after seeing her struggle and was about to rush over to help, but was stopped by another rouge.

"Not so fast. That man over there needs to die."

Boruto gritted his teeth. "Tch."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna gritted her teeth as a small boulder slipped through and landed just left of her, causing the ground underneath her and the carrier to cave in slightly. Her eyes shot to the left as a rogue shinobi from the Land of Berries shot through the defense line that a few Kirigakure had made, and charged right at her, throwing several shuriken and kunai at her.

She had no choice then to drop one of her hands from above her and reach for a kunai of her own to block, as well as spin around to land a kick to her attacker. The extra chakra that she had been channeling to her flare style in order to hold up the weight of the boulders, dropped by half and several more boulders slipped past, slamming into the ground all around.

She was able to bring her hand back up with her kunai in order to restore the shield, but it was already too late, the ground beneath her gave way and both she and Yūhei began to fall. Yūhei screamed out as he fell, and came to a sudden stop, after realizing that he wasn't falling anymore. Instead, he was hanging by his collar.

He risked a glance upward to see what had caught him, finding that Yuna was the one holding onto the back of his collar while her other hand was firmly on the handle of her kunai, which she had plunged into the side of the chasm. He gave a sigh, but then whimpered as he looked back down, seeing his expensive litter disappear into the darkness below.

"Stop...squirming…" Yuna ordered between concentrated breaths as she focused on keeping her hold on the wimpy man as well as her hold on her embedded kunai.

She had to split her focus once again as two rogues, each on one side of her, slowly appeared from the earth, keeping themselves parallel to the ground and from falling, using chakra concentrated around their feet.

"Shit!" Ryōgi gritted his teeth as he witnessed both Yuna and the envoy go over the edge, followed by a couple of rogue shinobi. "Ataru! Yuna needs help!" He hollered as he brought his hands together, forming signs for an Ice Release technique, effectively hitting several opponents with a barrage of ice darts.

Ataru was currently still having problems with the same rouge, who seemed to be the one in charge of the assault. Ryōgi's warning however, did not go unheard.

They broke apart with a metallic clang of kunai.

With lightning speed, Ataru lunged forward.

"Move aside!"

"I won't let you! The rouge yelled, throwing his kunai at the young Jōnin.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna glanced between the two rouge shinobi before they dashed towards her, each drawing a kunai. She narrowed her eyes, in a struggle for the best option. Had she not had to deal with Yūhei, then she could have easily used chakra at her feet to be at least on the same level as the two approaching, that, and she could use both of her hands, but of course, she had to take into consideration of the lump of useless flesh dangling from her grasp. She had no choice.

_Alright, here goes nothing!_

Yuna yanked her kunai out from the side of the chasm and coated it with Flare Energy.

"Flare Release: Burning Sabre!" She yelled and swung it around with a high concentration of flare energy, causing the first to recoil back.

As she and Yūhei fell, with him screaming like a little girl, Yuna spun in the other direction to block the second shinobi and landed a solid kick to his midsection. She turned herself back to face the wall and dug her kunai back into it, feeling pain blast through her palm to her shoulders before coming to an unsteady halt.

Yuna let herself hang for a moment, allowing the pain to fade a little. Then she looked up. Her head was about four feet below the cliff's edge. She scrambled with her toes for a foothold, but the cliff fell away inwards and she couldn't touch it. She tried to pull herself up, but her arms were so shocked with pain it was all she could do to dangle helplessly.

She heard something moving at the top of the cliff. Before she could do anything, there was a flash of black and Captain Ryouta stepped to the edge.

"Help," Yuna called to him.

"Hold on," he said.

"Oh, thanks," Yuna gasped, her hand slipping off the kunai. "That hadn't occurred to me. Maybe you want to come down here and show me how to do it right."

"I'm trying to help," Ryouta said. "You don't have to be a smartass, kid."

"I'm dangling hundreds of feet in the air by one hand and I can't hold on," Yuna said. "If that isn't a reason to be a smartass, I don't know what is."

Ryouta got down on his knees and reaching his hand out to Yuna.

"C'mon, take my hand."

Yuna nodded, looking down to make sure she still had a firm hold of Yūhei before she looked back up and over to the helping hand.

Taking a deep breath, and using every bit of strength in her body, Yuna quickly changed her hold from her kunai, over to Ryouta's hand. She and Yūhei swung slightly from the exchange, but soon stopped.

As Ryouta began to slowly pull the two to safety, the ground shook; due to the skills of their enemy, the rogue shinobi made a last ditch effort to dispose of the envoy. Ataru, Ryōgi, and Boruto quickly made their way to aid Ryouta, but arrived only in time to witness him fall over the edge, along with the remaining carriers that had been abandoned by the attendants during their battle.

"Captain Ryouta!" Several Kirigakure shinobi frantically called out as they rushed to the edge of the ridge, being sure to stay on the more stable parts.

"Yuna!" Boruto and the others made it to the edge as well, but she, along with Yūhei and Captain Ryouta had already disappeared into the darkness below.

 **A/N:**  Next chapter is pretty much written. I will try to have it out during Christmas break.


	19. CHAPTER NINETEEN

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

A light, howling wind blew around the area, with it being stronger on the ridge. Boruto looked down at the kunai in his hand and frowned. He clutched the hilt of the weapon tightly in his hand. He was going to go down there. Somehow, he needed to, but...everyone else.

Though the shinobi from the Land of Berries had retreated, he knew they would be back to make sure they had carried out their mission. Out of the three squads from Kirigakure, one was almost completely without harm. The rest, including his team, were looking a bit worse for wear. They all needed to rest up, tend to any wounds, and try to recover as much chakra as possible for the next encounter with the rogue shinobi.

But Captain Ryouta, the envoy...Yuna."

Things were looking grim at the moment, but he knew if anything, she would be relatively alright. He didn't know how far a drop into that dark chasm there was, but he knew that Yuna was skilled enough to handle herself. He also didn't know what skills Captain Ryouta possessed, but as long as the envoy was with them, then he would do everything in his power to protect him, including Yuna. It still didn't sit well with him though that she was mostly on her own, and who knew if she had been injured or not by the fall. He could have done something different, he could have ran to her aid in the beginning. Those different thoughts kept floating around in his head, and he couldn't help but feel responsible in some way.

There was one thing that was clear now though, and it was that the rogue shinobi from the Land of Berries were responsible for the earlier attempts on the envoy's life. Though Ryouta was at first a suspicious character, but his action earlier told him that he was loyal to his village, as well as a solid ally to Konoha as he risked his life for a shinobi of the Leaf.

"Boruto…"

Boruto didn't move or respond in any way to Sarada's call from close behind, still staring down at the kunai in his hand.

"We need to regroup and tend to everyone's injuries. I'm sorry, but...we'll have to go after Yuna and the others after we come up with a plan." She reluctantly spoke as she turned her head away from the dark abyss below.

Off behind them, the mixed groups of shinobi were helping each other as well as any injured attendants belonging to the envoy, to safer grounds; opting to backtrack a small bit and take cover in the woods.

"Boruto." Sarada took a step forward to try to gain the whiskered teen's attention once again, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder from behind.

She turned to see Mitsuki.

"Let him be for a while. I'll check on him after we move everyone."

"But-"

"We did some heavy damage. They won't come stalking around here for a while, at least not until they regroup themselves and heal up like we are now. Just give him some time alone for right now."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

The sounds of the earth crumbling from above caused Captain Ryouta and Yuna to nervously glance upward, sitting in silence for a moment; waiting to see if any immediate action was needed. Yūhei sat on his knees, with a sleeve up to his face as he silently whimpered. They could see the small, far off rays of light from above. They had fallen indeed a great distance, but thanks to a technique used by Captain Ryouta, they had been saved from fatal impact.

The meteor hammer that he had, was able to somehow make several chains spread out, much like a web, and embeded themselves into the walls, catching them. There was a bit of a downfall to the technique though. The chains were so heavy, that the walls had caved in and had caused them to fall the rest of twenty five feet to the ground, with Captain Ryouta cushioning Yūhei's fall. Not exactly a graceful fall, but it was better than falling the entire way down without some kind of safety.

After a moment of nothing, Yuna sighed and began to make a move to stand, but winced and sat back down as she subconsciously brought a hand down to her ankle.

"Is it broken?" Ryouta asked as he coiled his weapon back around his waist.

Yuna shook her head, hiding any pain. "No, I don't think so. No, I think it's just a bad sprain."

At that information, Yūhei gasped, for the moment forgetting his fear. "Oh no! My poor flower!" He wailed as he drew close.

Yuna's sigh was exasperated. "I'm fine, so please just keep your distance." She couldn't help the annoyance in her voice. She forced herself to her feet, using the side of the wall for support until she could test out how badly sprained her ankle was.

"We need to figure out how to get back up and it looks like climbing and scaling the sides using chakra will be difficult." Ryouta pointed with his chin toward Yuna's ankle.

Yuna frowned and put a little pressure on her left leg to walk, biting her lip at the sharp pain. "We can scale it just fine," she said stubbornly. "We just need to figure out how to go about doing it since we have luggage."

"Oh yes!" Yūhei perked up, "My possessions are around here somewhere!" The envoy then proceeded to look around, in search of any nearby items.

Yuna rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I believe she was referring to you, Yūhei-sama." Ryouta murmured.

Yūhei gasped. "But I can't just leave my precious things to wilt away down here!"

"Please be quiet," Yuna hissed, thinking of how horribly materialistic the envoy was. "We don't need to gain attention down here, especially if rogue shinobi from  _your_  village are searching for us."

Yūhei's shoulders slumped and he gave a sad sigh. "Fine, I guess. But my lovely flower, as long as you are with me, losing all of those things will mean nothing to me!" He took out a spare fan from his robe and snapped it open, putting it up to his face with a wide smile.

Yuna groaned in frustration, rolling her eyes heavenward, and turned back to Ryouta who was just as irritated with the envoy. "We need to let the others know exactly our location and that we're alright."

Ryouta paused. "Shouldn't we try to find a way to get out of here first? I can scout for us while you rest."

Yuna narrowed her eyes at him.

"No," she calmly said, against the captain's suggestion. "We stick together and wait for the others to arrive. In the meantime I'll send one of my summons to lead them here. They'll help us get out of this mess."

Yuna knelt down, careful for her ankle, and weaved a few hand signs before placing her hand on the ground. Tama appeared from the small cloud of smoke. The cat yawned and stretched out in front of Yuna.

"Yuna, how are things?"

"Not too great I'm afraid," Yuna said

Tama blinked a few times until her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. The pupils of her eyes were widening to let in as much light as possible so she could see better in the dim light. She took in the three before her, seeing them to be covered in dirt and small scratches. She finished off with Yuna, noticing her leaning against the wall and putting most of her weight on her right leg.

"You're hurt," she said, her voice full of concern.

"I'm alright," Yuna reassured. "I need your help. Do you think you can scale this cliff and find Ataru and others to come and help?"

Tama studied the steep wall and gave a confident smirk. "No problem. Just give me a bit of space to get a good start."

Yuna nodded and limped a few paces to the side, with Ryouta and Yūhei moving back as well. Tama trotted around a few paces in a circle before taking to a run, making her circle large. She then shot off to the side of the wall and ran up it, focusing a small amount of chakra to keep her from falling.

The sound of small rocks crumbling and falling down the side of the wall faded away as Tama continued her ascent. Yuna gave a small sigh as she carefully slid down the wall, hoping that her caracal would bring help quickly. She didn't very much like being alone with Ryouta and Yūhei. Yūhei she could keep at bay though, so she wasn't worried about him. It was Ryouta who had her a bit on edge. Even though he was an ally and helped her before, she didn't trust him. There was still something about him that she didn't like.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Tama was sure to keep a good momentum as she rushed straight up the cliff, weaving and hopping over different areas that seemed like they might give way, even under her tiny weight. She was pretty surprised by how far the drop had been for her handler as it took her a good while to reach the top, even with her speed, but she did have to keep in mind that she was going against gravity, even with the chakra boost she was using.

The light grew brighter the closer she came to the top of the chasm her ears perking forward and her eyes lighting up. She finally made it to the top and trotted over to a solid part of the ridge, panting as she did so, but forced herself not to stop and rest. She lowered her nose to the ground and began sniffing furiously for a few moments, before her head shot up and darted off, following two familiar scents.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yūhei jumped to the side and quickly scurried behind Yuna and Ryouta after hearing an echoing noise sound from his left. Yuna narrowed her eyes and carefully stood back up.

"W-we aren't alone down here, are we?" Yūhei shook with two large sleeves brought up to his mouth, hiding his chattering teeth from view.

"Quiet," Yuna sharply shut the wimpy man up, who was standing close behind her...a bit too close for her liking. She'd have to ignore him for the time being, as she was more concerned over what or who could be in front of them, lurking in the shadows.

She jumped to the far left, away from the wall, dragging Yūhei alongside her after hearing the sharp whistling sounds of kunai and shuriken being thrown. Captain Ryouta also jumped to the side to avoid the projectiles. Yuna slid across the ground and hunched over slightly, gritting her teeth after she had taken in a sharp, quiet breath; she hadn't stopped to think about how her ankle would be able to take the sudden movement. Yūhei was on his knees, trembling once again as he let out frightened whimpers, fearful for his life.

"I knew we hadn't finished you off." A low, intimidating chuckle sounded from the shadows. Three shinobi, all bearing slashed headbands from the Land of Berries, appeared. They all wore flak jackets of their village and looked to be built like oxen, with the man in the middle being the biggest. "Looks like we were right to split off from the rest to come search for you." The man in the center said, being the one who had spoken from the shadows before.

Yuna drew a kunai. She edged back a bit, waiting for the enemy to make their move. The two on either side of the middle rouge, shot forward, running alongside the walls of the chasm at the same time to make predicting their moves difficult as well as to make the shinobi guarding the envoy to split their focus between the two. To counter, Yuna brought her hands close with her kunai still in hand, to weave a few quick hand signs. Yellow energy began to charge down her shoulders, to her hands before shooting off in the form of jaguars with the four splitting up into pairs to take on the oncoming shinobi.

One of the rogues jumped back to avoid the jaguar's, while the other charged through, crossing his hands over to his hips and retrieving two tomahawks to throw. They made a clean cut through the jaguar's, discharging them and continuing forward as he formed a jutsu. As the tomahawks drew closer, and he finished his hand signs, the weapons grew in size, slicing through the sides of the walls. Yuna's eyes widened at the sudden expansion of the weapons range and size, and turned around, tackling Yūhei to the ground to avoid becoming headless. As she stood back up, she quickly brought her kunai in front of her to block one of the giant tomahawks that had circled around; probably due to an ability of the owner to redirect his flying weapons. She skid backwards, away from Yūhei and towards the enemy with her back to them...bad situation. With some deep protest from her ankle, she spun away from the weapon. Letting it continue forward and accidently-though luckily for her-killing the other shinobi that was still occupied by the jaguars. She went down to one knee, silently panting and breathing through the pain. That spinning action had more than likely caused further damage to her ankle.

The remaining shinobi from the first assault smirked, noting her injury. "Looks like someone is lame in one leg."

Yuna gave a small snort and forced herself to stand, holding out her kunai. "Captain Ryouta, stay back and protect-" Yuna's eyes widened and she fell forward.

Everything went in slow motion as blood spewed from the top of her right shoulder as a heavy weighted end and chain shot forward from behind her. She fell to the ground with a pained grunt, taking a few moments for her to at least get to her hands and knees, before she shakily looked over her shoulder to Ryouta as he yanked on the end of his weapon to return the end he had used back to him.

"You…" She painfully spoke, grasping onto her bleeding shoulder. "I knew I was right not to trust you!"


	20. CHAPTER TWENTY

**A/N:** Ah, finally, another installment. It's super long, so I hope you enjoy it. Again, thanks to all those who've reviewed, offered ideas and favorite/followed Mine to Take. I enjoy every single one of you.

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

"You…" Yuna painfully spoke, grasping onto her bleeding shoulder. "I knew I was right not to trust you!"

Yūhei was frozen in his spot as he looked on at the dangerous scene and the traitor who was only a mere few feet away from him, but for now, it seemed his attention was on his lovely flower; his beautiful flower that was sadly being trampled on. He dared not to think what might happen to him if she was killed right now, for the moment having more concerned for his own life. By the looks of it, this was probably the end of the line for him

Captain Ryouta laughed, pulling the metal portion of his forehead protector off to reveal a slashed Land of Berries, symbolizing his broken ties with the village. "And I was right to wait until I could somehow separate you and the envoy from the others, what with the way this clingy and selfish man didn't want to be without his 'Lovely Flower.'" He mocked in disgust. "I became sick with frustration over having to wait all the while having to listen to his obnoxious voice!"

During Ryouta's complaint's, Yuna discreetly made a few hand signs.

"It was lucky that you sustained an injury such as yours, though I was really hoping it was broken, so you wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight, but luck was on my side as these three-well, now two," Ryouta pointed his chin at the dead shinobi who was cut nearly clean in two from his right hip, up diagonally to his left shoulder from the earlier tomahawk that was flying around. "came searching for us, more specifically, me. Now," Ryouta turned to face Yūhei, who scrambled back a bit in surprise and fear. "It's about time I dealt with you. Our neighbor doesn't need to grow in strength. We will grow in confidence and overthrow the Land of Berries leadership and claim Kirigakure territory for our own in the future."

"Don't just sit there, idiot! Run!" Yuna yelled and slammed her palm down onto the ground, while Ryouta began taking slow steps towards Yūhei, like a cat stalking its prey.

Yūhei gave loud, girlish whimpers as he turned tail, frantically crawling away at first, before finding his feet and running away into the darkness. A large poof of some caused Ryouta and the other two rogues' from giving chase, and when it cleared, their eyes widened, seeing two large cats with grinning snarls.

Yuna picked herself up, taking advantage of the enemies pause in movement to do so.

Hina, the bobcat glanced at her handler who was looking a little worse for wear. She bared her teeth at the three men standing before her, her sharp points of her canines glinting in the dim light. "You dare hurt our master; the princess of the Land of Diamonds!"

Inwardly, Yuna rolled her eyes.  _I thought I told you to stop calling me that…_

"You know what this means, right?" Kenta, the silvery-grey cougar said, gazing at Hina with a knowing smirk before his eyes are back on the enemy.

"We get to eat them," Hina answered, her eyes gleaming, fangs wet with saliva.

"It's been so long since I've had a human to eat," The cougar licked his lips and crept toward the men. "I call dibs on the fat one."

One of the rogues stumbled back and fell with a dusty thud.

"Please," he pleaded.

"If you are my food, how am I supposed to feel pity towards you? That would mean starvation for me." Kenta replied with a shrug.

Hina turned to Yuna. "You shouldn't be here for this Yuna-sama; leave while they're distracted."

Yuna nodded and took her chance to go after Yūhei, narrowly missing an invisible attack as she disappeared into the darkness. The sounds of snarls, battle cries, and smashing earth grew fainter and fainter the further she moved ahead, limping and leaving small trails of blood behind.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Tama shot through the brush, entering a campsite, before stopping and panting from exhaustion. "I've...found...you…" She panted, unaware that her sudden appearance had caused several to stand in defensive positions with weapons drawn.

Ataru relaxed with a small sigh. "Tama," he said, to which the others calmed down as well, seeing that the jōnin seemed to know the unexpected visitor.

"Need some water?" He offered a canteen.

"No thanks," Tama shook her head before stepping forward. "As you've probably guessed, Yuna sent me."

Ataru nodded. "Is the alright? What about the other two that were with her?"

Tama's ears flattened back a bit. "Well…"

Everyone was holding their breath, nervously waiting to hear what unwanted news the caracal was about to deliver.

"The two men that are with her seem fine. As for Yuna, she's injured. I noticed she was walking with a limp."

Ataru's serious gaze hardened further. "Ryōgi and team 7, come with me. We're moving out now."

All nodded firmly, agreeing with their captains orders.

"We should help too." One of the Kirigakure shinobi spoke up, ready to leave as well, even though he seemed injured, with new bandages wrapped around both arms and over a small part of his head.

"No," Ataru disagreed. "A small recovery team can handle it. You need to stay here and protect them." He pointed out to the less than able people who belonged to the envoy.

"Don't worry," Sarada said, giving him a small, reassuring smile. "We'll be back soon and with your Captain too."

"Alright, let's go, Tama."

Tama gave a strong nod before leading the way.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

_The others will be here soon._ Yuna thought.  _In the meantime I just gotta keep moving; I need to buy as much time as I can._

She winced as a jolt of pain shot up her leg.

"My wildflower…"

"You have to stop with that," Yuna continued to quickly hobble in order to gain more distance from the enemy. "It's annoying."

Yūhei crossed his arms and pouted. "I only speak the beautiful truth. Besides, with such an exotic thing like your-Eeeeee!" Yūhei squealed out in surprise as Yuna had to jump away before an attack hit her; she made a quick hand seal.

The earth cratered from the surprise attack and a deep chuckle was heard from the cloud of dust. "Damn, I didn't think you would still be that quick, kid." Ryouta appeared from the cloud of dust.

Yuna scoffed, cold sweat glistening on her brow. "A small injury like this is nothing,"

Ryouta chuckled. "I beg to differ." He said. "I tell you what, kid. If you hand over the envoy I'll spare you life."

Yūhei gasped and his gaze flashed between Yuna and Ryouta.

"No one will know what happened here, just the two of us. But I have a duty to kill that man. If we clash of course, the weaker will be culled." He said. "Now, what will you do?"

Yuna snorted. "Do you honestly think I'm so cowardice that I would just abandon my mission and let you kill him just so I could live? I made an oath to my village. I will protect this man with my life." She said before getting into fighting stance. "It's like my father always says, "Guts and perseverance are the essence of being a shinobi.""

"Suit yourself, you stupid girl," he scoffed angrily. Meteor hammer in hand, Ryouta strolled slowly toward Yuna before something exploded next to him, bringing him to an abrupt halt. "What the hell?"

"You like it? It's a new technique I've been working on with my father." Yuna chuckled slyly. "I took advantage of that meteor attack you used earlier that stirred up a bunch of dust particles into the air. It served as a perfect distraction, blinding you while I kneaded my flare chakra within my body and released it in the form of a number of sparks."

"As opposed to typical sparks, such as those formed through the clashing of blades, these are deliberately smaller, dimmer, and are completely invisible to the naked eye whilst the sun shines," she continued. "Only sensory type shinobi or those bearing eye techniques would be able to perceive the sparks during daylight hours, but they would appear as little more than dust particles bearing the chakra of the user."

"You little shit…" Ryouta hissed.

"I'd say I've won this battle," she drew her hand to her chest and made a simple hand seal and said, "Ninja art…"

The rogue shinobi rushed at his opponent full speed, intent on bashing her skull in with his meteor hammer.

"Radiant entrapment!"

Suddenly, the sparks were swiftly guided to her opponent, making contact with his eyes, hands, mouth, and legs. Upon contact, powerful explosions erupt into being.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Boruto, Sarada, and Ataru, carefully dropped down, releasing their hold on the side of the chasm and landing near the small brown caracal that had begun to sniff the ground after seeing that Yuna and the others were not where she had left them.

"Looks like they had a fight with some rogues and by the looks of it…" Ataru looked around, taking in the blood that was splattered along the ground and across from them on the opposite wall, as well as the two dead bodies that were scattered on the ground.

"It was a pretty bad one," Sarada grimly finished, as she too, took in the gruesome scene.

Boruto closed his eyes and gave an inward sigh of relief that Yuna wasn't part of it, lying dead as well. But still, the situation was a bad one.

From the darkness, a deep, male voice said, "But nothing we couldn't handle ourselves."

Everyone except for Ataru stood tensely, every muscle wound tight in preparation to fight if they had to.

"Everyone stand down." Ataru sheathed his kunai and let out a sigh. "They're allies."

"You know them?" Sarada asked.

Ataru nodded. "They're summons of Yuna," he answered. "Still sloppy as ever Kenta-kun."

They strained to see the two felines in the gloom. Finally, something glittered in the blackness - their eyes. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, it was suddenly possible to make out shapes.

A cougar approached Ataru where he stood in the front, limb in mouth, followed by a medium-sized bobcat right on his tail.

Kenta scoffed and dropped the dismembered arm at Ataru's feet causing Sarada's stomach to lurch.

"They had it coming," the cougar said. "Like you, we have orders to follow from Nariko-sama."

"Orders?" Sarada asked, curious, glancing at him.

"It's a long story that we don't have time for. Right now our main priority is this mission." Ataru said before turning his focus back on the two felines before him. "What happened with Yuna and the other two that were with her?"

"Two?" Hina said confused. "There was only one; the clown."

Tama took a step forward, concern etched on her face. "There were two men with her when I had left. The clown and the other, a shinobi. He's tall, wearing the standard Kirigakure attire with light-coloured, spiky hair and a beard."

Kenta and Hina shared a worried look.

"Now that you mention it, there was one who matched that description." Kenta said, turning his attention back to Tama. "He was upon the other two that we handled; bearing a Land of Berries headband that had been slashed through. He managed to slip away mid-fight."

Ataru frowned. "Dammit." He clenched his fists. "That traitorous sonofabitch was the one who was behind all of this the entire time." He hissed acidly.

"Blood. It's Yuna's, and it leads this way." Tama's announcement interrupted Boruto's reverie.

Scratch that...the situation had indeed turned into a horrible one. It had been a long time since Boruto felt a feeling of deep fear for anyone's well-being. His gut twisted in a horrible knot at the thought of Yuna in danger. He wouldn't have been so fearful for her if she was alright from the start, but as Tama had said, she was injured in some way and that had put her at a disadvantage. And now, with it being known that she was bleeding from somewhere, well...he was scared as hell, and the whole Ryouta being a traitor, only made that feeling worse.

Suddenly, several loud explosions sounded gathering their attention.

Then, suddenly, Boruto bolted toward the explosions. As he darted away, Sarada called after him.

"Boruto!"

Boruto raced through the chasm as fast as his legs could carry him, weaving between large rocks in the darkened abyss as his heart hammered in his chest, his teammates following closely behind.

Not again...he was not going to lose another person that he cared about. A comrade, a friend, a person he cared for and loved...he wasn't going to lose her.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Half drunk on the deliciously complex smell of his own blood and recklessly eager to get his hands on the woman, Ryouta reached over with one hand to feel for the expected stump and the warm gush of blood, he discovered that he was intact. However, his right ear is badly abraded, torn and his left arm had sustained a significant amount of damage, third-degree burns along with the burn on his nape.

This mission was a failure, he would be apprehended soon, but not before he had a chance to wrap his hands around that pretty little neck first.

The young kunoichi was two hundred feet from him, with Yūhei in tow. She's a damn singularity, all right, in her own way just like him. He admired her for it.

As he got to his feet, all bones intact, choking down the interestingly sour insistence of vomit, he picked up the meteor hammer. He was happy to see that it seemed to have come through in fine shape.

He tightened his hold on his weapon and sprinted toward her. He was limping—not because he had injured his leg but simply because he was missing the heel on his right boot.

The kunoichi heard the crunch of dirt and rock, his angry scream, but she didn't have a chance to fully turn around and confront him. Ryouta swung his meteor hammer like a club, putting everything he had into it, smashing the flat of the stock across her shoulder blades.

The black-haired woman was knocked off her feet, the breath hammered from her, unable to cry out. She pitched forward and sprawled face down on the ground, perhaps unconscious but certainly stunned immobile.

He flipped her onto her back, straddling her hips and wrapped his hands around her throat.

"You bitch," Ryouta snarled, squeezing her tighter. She began to struggle anew, thrashing and kicking beneath him but nothing she did could throw him off. "It's over now. It's over."

She tried to scream, but no sound escaped. Her hands were at his hands, clawing, trying to pry them loose.

Ryouta's face, a twisted mass of raging fury and evil, froze Yuna's blood.

"Please," She grunted between clenched teeth.

Yuna tried to fight him but her strength was nothing compared to Ryouta's. Eventually her limbs grew heavy, the chasm faded and even Ryouta's constant yelling sounded like it came from a great distance.

Hope. The one thing she clung to for so long slowly trickled out of her. She tried to keep her eyes open as Ryouta's hand tightened upon her throat, but it proved too much. Her eyes drifted close. The fear gave way to lightness as she gasped her last breath.

And then a rock flew across and hit Ryouta in the head, causing him to loosen his grip around Yuna's neck.

"What the hell?"

Yūhei swallowed and shook his head, his wide eyes locked on the man before him, his voice trembling slightly.

"Ge...get your filthy hands off my flower!"

Yuna's eyes slowly opened.

_Yūhei…_

"I'll kill you later, so just wait-"

"As if…"

Yuna placed her hand on the ground, drawing carbon up from the earth and forming it into a kunai.

Ryouta gasped and turned his focus back to Yuna.  _In the instant I was distracted…_

"...I'd let you kill him."

She brought the kunai up hard into his stomach, clutching the hilt in both hands. He clamped a hand around her throat once again, and for a moment Yuna was certain they would die together. She twisted the kunai, dots of color appearing in front of her eyes, and his eyes glazed over. His fingers loosened, and she wriggled free and stepped aside as he crashed to the ground.

Pulling Yūhei with her, Yuna backed farther from Ryouta, but at last she was unable to stand one moment longer. She sat on the ground, shaking uncontrollably, pain-racked, sick with relief.

In time, Yuna's team appeared in the distance. Yūhei watched as they approached, while beside him the kunoichi mutely studied the lifeless Ryouta.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"How bad is it?"

Ataru sighed heavily, closing his eyes for a moment, and for the longest time he didn't answer. "You were very fortunate considering the amount of strain you put on it while dealing with Ryouta. It's not broken, just a bad sprain." Ataru told Yuna. "I've done all I can, but it will take a few days for most of the swelling to go down, so you will need to keep your foot elevated, and try to stay off of it as much as possible for the next three days."

Yuna nodded. "Thank you."

Ataru said nothing as he merely put his away his medical supplies and stood. He was about to turn when Yuna caught his hand.

"Hey," she said quietly. "Are you okay? Since we've left Konoha you've been...I don't know...off."

Ataru was about to say something but a familiar presence appeared behind them. Boruto. He frowned. He gave Boruto a look of pure disdain, as if his mere existence offended him. This wasn't good on any level.

He wrenched his hand out from Yuna's grasp. She watched him stalk away with confusion and then turned her attention back to Boruto.

When their eyes meet, her face split into a huge grin, and Boruto shook his head. "You are looking a little worse for wear," he teased.

She laughed before becoming serious again. "I missed you."

"No, you didn't. You were too busy to miss me. Between Yūhei and Ryouta, you probably didn't even think about me."

"I missed you," she said again.

"I know. And I missed you, too." But now his eyes are shining and full of promise…but there's a trace of sadness, too. He stood in front of her, staring intently but not touching her. She cocked her head to one side.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry, Yuna."

"For what?"

"For not coming to you faster. For not being able to prevent any of this."

"Boruto-kun…"

"Do you know what you mean to me?" he murmured. "If something happened to you…" His voice trailed off, his brow creasing, and the pain that flashed across his face was almost palpable. He looked so vulnerable—his fear very much apparent.

"Nothing's going to happen to me," she reassured him, her voice soothing. She reached up and stroked his face, letting her fingers trace the whiskers on his cheek. He closed his eyes and exhaled, leaning his face into her touch.

He leaned down slowly, and her lips automatically lift to meet his. Her heart leapt and desire pooled way down low...way down  _there_.

"I knew it," a voice said. They broke apart to see Tama resting on a large branch above them. With a graceful jump, the caracal landed before them without making a sound. "I thought I caught a whiff of your scent on him earlier; this confirms my suspicions."

Yuna rolled her eyes at her but can't stifle her smile.

"I can't wait to see the look on Masaru's face when he finds out," she said with a snicker.

Yuna placed her hands on her hips. "I'll be sure to summon you for when that happens, okay?"

"You better,"

Careful of her ankle, Yuna leaned down and scratched behind Tama's ears, rewarding her with purrs. "I'm glad you're safe," Tama said quietly.

Yuna gave the caracal a warm smile and leaned forward, resting her forehead against hers. "Good work today."  **  
**

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"I could never really convey how grateful I am to you."

The rest of their mission had been swift and uneventful...or at least that's what Yuna had been told. She had slept most of the way, draped over Boruto's back as she recovered her strength and had awoken only a couple of hours before their arrival.

"I was only doing my job," the kunoichi replied sheepishly. Though, if Yūhei hadn't stepped up when he did, she'd be dead right now. "If anything...it should be me thanking you. You showed a lot of courage back there, Yūhei. I'm proud of you."

A blush stealed across his surprised face. "It was the least I could do considering how troublesome I was the entire time."

"I'll say," Ataru muttered under his breath.

"Please accept this as a token of my appreciation." Yūhei bowed slightly and held out a basket toward Yuna which she accepted. It was full of gifts and various berries from their land.

Curious as to how they taste, Yuna plopped a berry into her mouth. The tangy sweetness made her eyes flutter shut, and a little moan escaped her mouth. "Holy crap these are delicious," she said, shoveling more into her mouth. "It's no wonder why you guys are trying to expand your product. These are great!"

"You should probably go easy on those," Yūhei said. "They're similar to military rations pills, but are less aggressive on the body." His eyes are wide and cautious. But he's amused, too.

Yuna shrugged and popped another raspberry into her mouth before Ataru took the basket away from her. She pouted her bottom lip a little.

"We should be on our way if we want to get home by sundown," Ataru told Yuna.

Yuna nodded and said, "Just give me a minute."

"Don't be long."

"Hai, hai." Yuna said with a careless wave.

"That man wants into your panties, my flower. But can't say I blame him." Yūhei said once Ataru was out of earshot.

Yuna went crimson as her mouth dropped open, and she glanced nervously at Ataru.

"That's not true!"

"You have no idea, do you?" He smirked down at her. "He wants you. Big-time."

She frowned. "He's my brother…"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "By blood? Because the two of you share no resemblance whatsoever."

Yuna glanced sideways. "He's adopted…"

"Ah, unrequited love."

"Oh, shut up. What do you know?"

Yūhei held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I don't want to fight," he said softly. "If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask...my lovely flower."

She rolled her eyes at him, and his mouth twisted in amusement.

"Take care, Yūhei." Yuna bowed politely to him.

Their farewells said, Yuna turned to find Boruto waiting, leaning up against the tree.  _Has he been waiting here the whole time?_

"Are you ready my lovely flower?" he teased, and she scowled playfully at him before jumping on his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed in his scent-oh, he smells to good-as he carried her back to Konoha.

"Boruto-kun…?"

"Hm?"

"Can I violate you?"

His cheeks reddened. "Are you retarded?!"

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

This was miserable, utterly, completely miserable. She would have preferred talking about her sexual history (or lack thereof) to this, this awkward, stifling tension that hung in the air so thickly that it was nearly tangible.

At first she had wondered if Ataru's disinterest in socializing was simply caused by the fact he was exhausted after their mission. However, even after they had left the Land of Berries, eaten dinner and walked a good fifteen minutes towards their house once they had arrived back at the village, he still didn't seem any more talkative than when they were in the forest clearing when he tended to her wounds. Any questions she asked were answered with single words or grunts, making conversation increasingly difficult and she couldn't help but wonder if he was upset with her.

"Are you...mad at me or something?"

"I'm not happy about finding you in a lip lock with that fucking guy, if that's what you mean."

This was exactly what Yuna had been dreading. She couldn't have one day without Ataru finding something to complain about the blonde haired man.

"You know," she replied irritably. "I'm tired of you putting him down all the time. Who I date is not your concern and I wish you would quit acting like a disapproving father when it comes to him."

Ataru could hear the anger in her voice and it sparked his own. A father? He didn't want to be a father to her. He wanted to be her husband for kami's sake! But she clearly needed some guidance in her life if she thought running around with an unstable man like Boruto was what was best for her.

Yuna had broken stride, hobbling ahead and intending to finish her trip home on her own, but Ataru caught up to her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to him.

"Yuna, he's all wrong for you. He's just going to hurt you in the end. Can't you see that? You can do better."

She whirled around and face him. "Just stop, Ataru! Just stop it, please!" She shouted at him, and tears prick her eyes "What the hell do you want from me? What do I have to do to stop you from acting like this and just be happy for me?"

"Be mine!"

"I am yours!" She cried. Her tears start to flow. She couldn't stem them. She hated arguing with Ataru, it broke her heart, but she didn't know what else to do at the moment. "I have always been yours!"

"If you're really mine then you'll stop seeing him. Choose the team. Choose me. Forget about him and everyone else."

Yuna was taken aback. "I can't do that," she whispered horrified. "And if you really cared about me...if you truly knew me you would never ask that of me." Yuna recovered herself, and she dashed her tears away roughly with the back of her hand.

The door opened, startling them both. Both their parents stood in the doorway, looking puzzled.

"What's going on here?" Their father asked, his voice stern.

"Ask him!" Yuna cried, pointing angrily to Ataru. "He's been nothing but a controlling ass ever since we left. He's letting his new rank go to his head!"

"Controlling? If anything I was doing my job as  _your_ Captain!" Ataru shot back. "The whole mission could have been jeopardized because you decided to go off and whore it up with Boruto!"

Yuna gasped in shock.

"Ataru!" Their mother scolded.

Yuna bristled, refusing to let him sit there and hurl insults at her when she was not the only one at fault. But he was also acting strangely. She had expected anger, but he was treating this almost like a personal betrayal. Why was he so fixated on her kissing Boruto?

"Oh yeah? Well what about you? You left your post when you were supposed to be guarding the envoy. I'm not the only one at fault here Ataru, so don't you dare pretend you're blameless." Yuna spat. "Maybe you should be the one focusing less on me and more on our mission."

"That's enough, both of you." Their father ordered before turning his attention back to Ataru. "We don't use that kind of language in this family, son. Apologize to your sister right now."

Ataru scoffed angrily. "She's not my sister and I'm not your son."

Yuna's heart sank and she didn't know whether to say anything else or just let it go. She decided on the latter and watched as he strode past their parents and up the stairs into his bedroom, slamming the door, obviously furious. Why is he so angry?

"What's gotten into him?" Her mother asked quietly.

Her father let out a heavy sigh before starting up the stairs. "I'll go talk to him."

Her mother turned to Yuna with a worried look. "What happened to your leg?"

"It's nothing, mom. It's just a small sprain. Ataru already took care of it."

"I hate that you're out there fighting."

Yuna sighed. "Mom…"

"I know, but why not aim for something a little less dangerous?" Her voice was hesitant. "Maybe you should take up teaching? You love dealing with children. The Hokage even said you would be great at it."

"Momma, I enjoy what I do. Yeah, teaching sounds great, but being a shinobi makes me feel alive, it's all I know."

"It's just...I don't know what I would do if something happened to my baby girl."

Yuna smiled fondly at her mother. "Nothing is going to happen to me, momma." She reassured. "Besides, I was trained by the two best shinobi I know." She walked over to the kitchen fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. She took a big sip and leaned back against the counter.

"So, you and Boruto?" Her mother asked, her voice soft and inquiring. "Are you still taking your pill?"

Yuna choked on her water, and she stared at her, eyes wide and mouth gaping. "Jesus mom,"

"Just answer the question."

"Yes, for chrissake we've only kissed!"

"I'm just saying at your age your hormones are raging through your bloodstream. It's inevitable that the two of you will think about sex and are likely to experiment."

Yuna plugged her fingers into her ears and began to chant, "La, la, la, la-daughter running away now."

Her mother playfully pushed her shoulder with her hand. "It's normal, Yuna."

Yuna dropped her hands. "I can't...I can't have this conversation with you right now." She laughed tiredly, shaking her head. "I'm going to bed before this evening could possibly get any more crazier."

As she turned to head upstairs, her mother stopped her.

"Actually…"

Yuna let out a tired sigh before turning back to her mother. She's tense. She's worried.  _Why is she worried?_

"Mom? What is it?"

She hesitated. "Your father was summoned earlier by the Hokage. It seems your father's clan is coming down to pay us a little visit."

Yuna went pale.

_Oh shit…_


	21. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

**A/N:** Hey everyone! I'm honestly surprised I got this chapter done pretty quick. It's super long, over 7000 words. You're welcome. Lol. Thanks for all those who've reviewed, favorite/followed Mine to Take.

As stated in the first chapter, and a few chapters back rating will go up. This chapter has a little heated scene at the end, soooooo yeah. It only took 21 chapters…

I honestly can't wait to start the next chapter, a lot is going to happen... crazy stuff. So be ready. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy.

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

A blissful sigh escaped Yuna as hot water lapped at alabaster skin. She reclined against the warm rocks and enjoyed the rays of the sun on her face. The outdoor bath was deserted, except for Sarada and Chōchō, and she relished the privacy, allowing her body to respond and relax in the natural hot spring.

"This is great," Yuna said. "I haven't been to a hot spring in forever. You girls don't realize how much I've needed this after everything that's happened this week."

"I guess things are still tense between you and Ataru?" Sarada asked.

She lowered her gaze and her mind drifted to the memory of the other day at home.

_Yuna dragged herself past the threshold of her front door and shut it heavily behind her. Upstairs in Ataru's room, she found Ryōgi packing a duffel bag._

_"What are you doing?"_

_"Ataru needed a few things. I just finished up some odd jobs and decided to stop by before heading back home. I'll be out of here in a minute or two."_

_"Oh." Her shoulders slumped and sadness flickered behind her eyes._

_Ryōgi nodded, continuing to throw items into Ataru's bag. Yuna shifted from one foot to the other._

_"How's he doing?"_

_She wasn't sure why she asked. As if knowing more about Ataru's state of mind would make her feel better about things._

_Ryōgi looked up for the first time. "Well, he hasn't exactly been in a chipper mood today."_

_Yuna lowered her gaze._

_He zipped up Ataru's bag and then focused on Yuna again. "You should talk to him, Yuna."_

_"It's just...right now I'm a little scared of what he'll say. But I will. Soon. I promise."_

_Ryōgi accepted that, then started toward the door before stopping again. "I know it's not my place to say anything. Whatever happened with you and Ataru is between you two, but for what it's worth, your brother loves you very much."  
_

Yuna shook her head in dismay at the memory. "Yeah. He sent Ryōgi to pick up some of his things the other day. He's going to be staying with him for a little while."

"Yuna, you might hate me for saying this, but I'm going to say it anyway." Sarada said. "There is something wrong with Ataru."

Yuna groaned. "Seriously, not you too."

"I'm just saying, when it comes to you, he's all over the place." She shrugged apologetically.

"That's because he cares about me."

"That's just it," she said. "He doesn't just care about you, he's in love with you."

Yuna let out a short, nervous giggle. "You're the second person to tell me that, Sarada. It's a little unnerving…"

"Ah, unrequited love," Chōchō shook her head sympathetically. "I hear that's the worst kind."

Yuna frowned.

"Think about it," The Uchiha said, "That entire mission he constantly hounded you, especially when both you and Boruto were together."

"No," Yuna shook her head. "He was...he was just being overly protective like he always is."

"Yuna...he gave you an ultimatum that night, remember? He even went as far as telling your parents that you weren't his sister. If that's the case, what are you to him?"

Her chest tightened, and her thoughts went to Ataru. What was she to him? Years and years of conversations, affections, trust and loyalty. Had she really misjudged all of it?

Her heart was in her mouth. She felt sick.

"Yuna?" Sarada interrupted her thoughts. "Just think about it, okay?"

"Yeah," she smiled weakly at her.

After they finished bathing and getting dressed, the three kunoichi decided to spend the rest of the afternoon shopping. The dark mood of the conversation with Yuna and Sarada seemed to have lifted completely, for both were all smiles, especially when Chōchō emerged from a cart selling fruit with two large cantaloupes raised to her chest.

"Do you like my melons?" she asked in an obvious parody of a sexy voice.

Sarada shook her head.

"Chōchō, those are way too big for you. You'd fall on your face if you had hooters that big."

Yuna had to agree. If Chōchō were that well endowed, she would be grossly disproportionate.

The excursion had taken them nearly two hours, considering the market consisted of several streets full of stalls, all with different wares and all open to haggling. They could have shopped at the large indoor market, but prices were set there and things would undoubtedly be more expensive. Besides, shopping like this was much more fun in Yuna's opinion.

"All that shopping made me hungry," Chōchō announced, slinging her shopping bags over her shoulder.

Sarada laughed. "You're always hungry. What else is new."

"What can I say? A girl's gotta eat," she shrugged, then turned her gaze to Yuna. "Any suggestions on where you would like to eat, Yuna?"

"Actually, I'm not all that hungry. You two go on ahead without me." She gave them a crooked, apologetic smile.

"Are you sure?" Sarada asked.

"Positive," Yuna assured. "Thanks for a great day. I'll catch you girls around."

She dashed down the street, waving a quick good-bye to Sarada and Chōchō. She couldn't believe how quickly the day had gone. She also had Boruto's birthday to think about. She knew what she was going to give him. She just had to prepare it.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Another night had passed with no Ataru. Feeling defeated and a little helpless, she had stripped off her panties, shrugged into an oversized T-shirt and collapsed into bed, hoping she could sleep off the depressing feeling.

She awoke the next morning equally discouraged; only now she had morning breath that could kill a horse. With a grumble, she hauled herself into the bathroom to shower and brush her teeth. The hot water felt good on her skin and the smell of the lavender scented soap lifted her spirits enough so that she wouldn't be moping around all day, but she knew she couldn't go on like this, for it was Boruto's birthday and was having dinner tonight at the Uzumaki residence.

She rinsed quickly and toweled off before she monopolized all the hot water. She retreated to her room and sat down in front of the mirror in the corner to face the daunting task of combing out her long black hair.

In her haste to get out of the shower, she had forgotten to put conditioner in it and the result was a mass of black tangles all over her head. She pulled at them irritably with her comb but didn't have the patience at the moment to work them all out. She was considering just piling her hair into a bun and worrying about it later when her mother entered the room.

"Darling, breakfast will be ready soon," she said softly.

"Ok, be right there," the kunoichi said, going to pull the comb from tangled strands only to find it wouldn't budge. So much hair had wound around it in her attempt to work out the snarls that it had become stuck in her hair.

Her mother was looking at her curiously.

"Do you need help with that?

Yuna grit her teeth against the pain in her scalp and pulled again.

"Nope, I'm perfectly fine."

The taller woman didn't believe her for a moment and padded with all the grace of a cat to sit behind her. Yuna watched her in the mirror as she lightly batted her hands away from the comb and began to work it free, gently pulling away black strands that were caught between the plastic teeth.

"Thanks," the kunoichi said sheepishly. If her mother hadn't come along, she probably would have torn out all her hair in frustration when she used brute strength to yank the comb free.

The woman moved with fluid grace even during the most menial of tasks; like an ethereal goddess, even as she combed out her hair.

Gently, the troublesome comb was pulled free and she went to work on coaxing the impossible tangles from her hair. The sensation the comb and her mother's fingers lightly tugging on her silken strands and gliding over her scalp were soothing and she let her eyes drift closed, willing all the tension she had been harboring for days to melt away as she relaxed into the comforting touch.

The room was quiet as her mother worked her magic on one side of her head and was beginning on the other when Yuna spoke.

"Momma, what is it like to be in love?"

The question surprised even the woman who asked it, for it had popped into her head only seconds before the words had formed on her tongue.

Her mother paused in her movements and Yuna risked opening her eyes to find the woman looking at her in the reflection of the mirror.

"I-I'm sorry. Forget it. It was a silly thing to ask," she stammered, backpedaling and wondering what had come over her to ask something like that in the first place.

"No, it's alright," her mother said quietly. "I just wasn't prepared for a question like that."

Teal eyes turned thoughtful as she pondered a moment.

"To fall in love with someone is literally the most magical, mystical, and frankly, indescribable feeling in the world." she said at last. "It happens, suddenly and without hesitation."

"I see," Yuna said, toying with the ends of her hair that had been combed out.

"And, while, it's never "love" at first sight," she continued, a wistful smile forming on her face. "there certainly is a connection; an unspoken, indescribable feeling that this is a person that is supposed to be in your life. Your entire body is telling you, like it's connected to a magnet, that you have to talk to this person, get to know them, and have them in your life in some sort of capacity."

"Really?" Yuna asked, noting how her mother's face seemed to light up. "You felt that way towards dad despite knowing where he came from?"

The beautiful woman resumed combing out the black strands before her.

"I suppose I was a little anxious at first, but he was my friend and the thought of always being with him made me happy."

"Oh…"

"But to fall in love takes more than "just love." It takes more than just "chemistry."" she said with a smile. "It takes patience, it takes acceptance, and it takes all of you, but in the most natural way. To fall in love is to want to put in the effort. It's knowing that, this is where you want to be, and who you want to be with, and being willing to do anything to nurture that love. It means embracing their idiosyncrasies and difference, because to you, they're endearing quirks. It means not only supporting them, but admiring them."

Her mother leaned in closer to examine a particularly stubborn knot.

"Falling in love is a genuine, pure, natural look between two people," she continued. "It's going out of your way for that person, not because you feel forced to, but because you want to. You want to do anything for that person. It isn't just about listening to someone's passion and dreams; it's finding ways to help them accomplish all of their dreams. It's not just butterflies in your stomach. It's an innate feeling that this person was made for you. You know that, before them, you were incomplete. But remember, Yuna, falling in love is a choice, but not the choice you think. It's the choice to allow yourself not to be scared. It's the choice of letting go of your own guard. That the choice we make when we fall in love, and it's the hardest one to decide. But, once we do, we are in for the ride of a lifetime."

At last her mother worked the last tangle free, her messy rat's nest transformed once more into long straight strands. Without asking, she parted her hair all the way down the back of her head and began to plait it into to symmetrical French braids. She tied them off with the hair ties she found on the nearby bookcase and gave her a smile.

"The style suits you. You look very cute."

"Thanks," Yuna smiled, fingering the end of a long braid that nearly reached her navel.

"Come on, I'm sure breakfast is ready by now," the taller woman said as she handed Yuna her comb before standing.

Yuna nodded and tossed the comb on her bed before following her out the door.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"I refuse to let my little girl be taken away by some guy." Yuna's father cried earnestly. "But Yuna...your father won't give you up so easily! Never!"

As the river of tears flowed down Masaru's face while he gestured and pleaded wildly to someone who wasn't even there, Tama exchanged an amused glance with Nariko who was still standing awkwardly beside her crying husband. Yuna squeezed her eyes shut, rubbing her temples to stave off the tension headache coming on and the man who was causing it.

"Don't you think you're overreacting a little bit, dad?" Yuna muttered dryly.

"B-but Yuna, don't you remember? You said you'd marry daddy when you were a little…" She rolled her eyes at him but couldn't stifle her smile.

"Funny, I don't recall ever saying that."

Masaru placed his hands over his cheeks and gasped, "Nooooooo!"

Nariko paused. "Darling, shouldn't you check up on our dinner?"

He gasped again, eyes wide and bolted to the kitchen. "Oh shoot, you're right!"

"Thanks mom," Yuna sighed and examined her reflection in the entryway mirror.

That's it, she thought to herself, that's all I've got. She turned one way, then the other, tugging at the blouse before finally smiling. She hadn't looked this good in a long time and as she stepped back, she felt a familiar presence. Yuna saw from the clock that Boruto was right on time.

She drew a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Then, after walking across the room and opening the door, she stepped out onto the porch.

Seeing her, he seemed to freeze, his expression one of disbelief. She stood surrounded by the last rays of the setting sun, perfectly radiant, and for a moment all he could do was stare.

His wonder was obvious, and Yuna let it wash over her, knowing she wanted the feeling to last forever.

"You made it," she said.

The sound of her voice was enough to break the spell, but Boruto continued to stare. He knew he should say something witty, something charming to break the tension, but instead, he found himself thinking, I'm in trouble.

Serious trouble.

In time, he was finally able to clear his throat. "Yeah," he said. "I guess I did."

"Boruto, how lovely to see you again." Yuna's mother appeared beside her. She opened her arms, offering Boruto a quick hug. "Come on in. I want you to say hello to Masaru."

She led them into a large kitchen where Yuna's father was pulling a tray out of the oven.

"Masaru, come say hello to Boruto."

Yuna's father pulled off his oven mitts and the apron and joined them at the edge of the room. "Good to see you again, Boruto." Masaru shook his hand. "I'm glad Yuna finally decided to bring you over to say hello. For a while there, we couldn't help but think she was embarrassed about her old parents."

"You know that's not true," Yuna said, and her father winked before moving to hug her.

"You two have fun tonight, but not too much fun if you know what I mean…"

Yuna flushed and punched his arm.

"That punch...It wasn't the stinging punch full of malice that I raised you to use against men. It's become a kind punch packed with restraint and affection." he said, his eyes welling up with fake tears, his voice shaking. "You've grown, Yuna. You've grown and weakened!"

Yuna rolled her eyes while Boruto could practically feel the huge sweat drop running down the back of his head. Now he knew where Yuna got her sense of humor.

Masaru's face softens, serious. "Look after my baby girl, Boruto." All trace of humor has vanished as gazed at him.

"I fully intend to, Mr. Katayama."

Yuna took his arm and led him back outside.

Boruto chuckled quietly. "Your dad is something else."

Her lips soften with a fond smile at the mention of her father. "Isn't he?"

"Yeah," he answered. "Now I know where you get your sense of humor from."

"I'd like to think I got a little bit of something from them both," she giggled and slowed to a stop. "Here." She pulled the small black gift box from her purse. "This is for you for your birthday. I wanted to give it to you now—but only if you promise not to open it until after the party, okay?"

He blinked at her in surprise and swallowed. "Okay," he murmured cautiously.

Taking a deep breath, she handed it to him, ignoring his bemused expression. He shook the box, and it produced a very satisfactory rattle. He frowned. She knew he was desperate to see what it contained. Then he grinned, his eyes alight with youthful, carefree excitement.  _Oh boy_ … he looks his age—and so beautiful.

"You can't open it until after the party," she warned him.

"I get it," he said. "Why are you giving this to me now?" He popped the box inside his jacket pocket.

She smirked at him. "Because I can, Boruto-kun."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"Ready to face my family?" Boruto asked as they stopped outside the impressive front gate.

Yuna nodded, and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"First for me, too," he whispered, then smiles wickedly.

Hinata Uzumaki was on the doorstep waiting for them. She looked elegantly sophisticated as usual. Behind her stood the Seventh Hokage, tall, blond, and as handsome in his own way as Boruto.

"Yuna, how lovely to see you again." Hinata wrapped her in a warm hug.

Once Hinata released her, Yuna turned, faced the Hokage, and politely bowed.

"Lord Seventh—"

"Call me Naruto, please, Yuna."

"Is she here?" Yuna heard a screech from within the house. She glanced nervously at Boruto.

"That would be Himawari, my little sister," he says almost irritably, but not quite.

There's an undercurrent of affection in his words, the way his voice grew softer and his eyes crinkle as he mentioned her name. Boruto obviously adored her. It's a revelation. And she came barreling down the stairs, bearing a striking resemblance to her mother, having her dark-blue hair that she wore with straight bangs and a hime-cut and stood in front of Yuna.

_Oh, Kawaii!_

"Wow." And she turned to look at Boruto. "You're right Onii-chan, she is pretty. Good work."

"H-Hima!" He stammered, a noticeable blush

Yuna couldn't help but smile at her boundless enthusiasm. Himawari took her hand and dragged her into the living area.

"He's never brought a girl home before," said Himawari, blue eyes bright with excitement.

Yuna glimpsed Boruto rolling his eyes, and she grins at Boruto, who smiles back at her.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna breathed a sigh of relief as they left the bustling dinner with Boruto's family and escaped to the backyard.

"Sorry. They're completely crazy," he mumbled.

"Nah, my family is like that, too."

He chuckled. "Now that they've met you, they're going to be hounding me nonstop about you. Don't think for one second this is going to be your last Uzumaki family dinner."

She laughed. "I'll look forward to it.

A comfortable silence had settled between them as they sat outside.

"So, where is your bedroom? Are you going to show it to me?" Yuna asked innocently.

"Sure. It's probably a mess though." he shrugged. Boruto took her hand and slid open the glass door before leading her up the wooden stairs.

"Are you a slob?" She asked teasing him.

"Sometimes," he said, grinning at Yuna. Opening the door at the top, he stepped aside to let her in.

His room was cozier than she had imagined. The room was tidy, the desk lamp glowed brightly, and his favorite books stood firm and friendly on the shelf.

"Boruto," his mother called from the downstairs hallway. "Keep your door open."

Yuna stared at him, shocked, then she bursted out laughing-and Boruto turned scarlet.

"O-okaa-san!"

He shrugged and gave her a lopsided, apologetic smile.

As Yuna wandered around the room, Boruto sat down at the edge of the bed.

Yuna giggled to herself.

"What's so funny?"

She interlaced her hands behind her back and turned to Boruto with a grin. "You talk about me when I'm not around," she said. "You think I'm pretty."

Boruto lowered his gaze, a small blush forming on his cheeks. "I think you're beautiful," he whispered, and her face softened with a smile.

"You're not so bad yourself, Boruto-kun." Leaning down, she gave him a brief kiss, then turned and lifted a picture frame from the shelf. It was the same picture she recognized as the one downstairs when she first came to Boruto's house.

"His name was Kawaki," he said finally.

She placed the picture back onto the shelf and turned to Boruto.

"Boruto...you don't have to tell me. It's okay. I understand."

He shook his head sadly. "I want to. I want to tell you about something," he said. "I want to tell you about me."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna sat beside Boruto on the bed. For months, he'd tried to block out the specific memories, focusing only on the fear that had been left behind. He didn't want to remember Kawaki, didn't want to think about him. He wanted to erase him entirely, to pretend he never existed. But he would always be there.

Yuna had stayed silent throughout his story, her knees angled toward his. He'd spoken through his tears, though she doubted he even knew he was crying. He'd told her without emotion, almost in a trance, as if the events had happened to someone else. She felt sick to her stomach by the time he trailed off.

He couldn't look at her as he told her. What transpired between the two was terrible. He wasn't simply a victim, he was her friend, the man she'd come to love, and she gently stroked his hair and then his cheek.

At her touch, he flinched slightly before relaxing. She heard him sigh, tired now. Tired to talking. Tired of the past.

"You did the right thing," she said. Her tone was soft. Understanding.

It took him a moment to respond. "I know," he said.

"You did what you had to do to save thousands," she said, her voice steady.

He grew silent again. "I never thought something like this could happen, you know? I was just so...weak. I don't know why I let it happen."

Her voice was soft. "Because the two of you were once brothers; you loved him. Because you believed him when he promised it wouldn't happen again. Because he gradually grew more violent and controlling over time, slowly enough that you felt like he would change until you finally realized he wouldn't."

With her words, he inhaled sharply and lowered his head, his shoulders heaving up and down. The sound of his anguish made her throat clench with anger at the life he lived and the sadness because he was still living it.

She wanted to hold him, but knew that right now, at this moment, she was doing all he wanted. He was fragile, on edge. Vulnerable.

It took a few minutes before he was finally able to stop crying. His eyes were red and puffy. "I'm sorry I told you all that," he said, his voice still choked up.

"I'm glad you did."

"The only reason I did was because we're...dating."

"I know."

"But you didn't need to know the details about the things I had to do."

"It's okay."

"I hate him," he said. "But I hate myself, too. I tried to tell everyone that I'm better off alone. I'm not who you thought I was. I'm not the man you think you know."

He was on the verge of crying again and she finally stood. She tugged his hand, willing him to stand. He did but wouldn't look at her. She suppressed her anger at Kawaki and kept her voice soft.

"Listen to me," she said. She placed her hand on his cheek. He resisted at first then gave in, finally looking at her. She went on. "There's nothing you can tell me that will change how I feel about you. Nothing. Because that isn't you. It's never been you. You're the man I've come to know. The man I love."

He studied her, wanting to believe her, knowing somehow she was telling the truth, and he felt something give way inside him. Still…

"But…"

"No buts," she said, "because there are none. You see yourself as someone who couldn't protect this village. I see a courageous man who did. You see yourself as someone who should be ashamed or guilty because he let it happen. I see a kind, handsome man who should feel proud because he stopped it from happening ever again. Not many men have the strength to do what you did. That's what I see now, and that's what I've always seen when I look at you."

He smiled. "I think you need glasses."

"I have 20/20 vision thank you very much." Yuna said, puffing up her chest with pride. She moved toward him, making sure it was okay before leaning in to kiss him. It was brief and soft. Caring. "I'm just sorry you had to go through it all."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"Mr. & Mrs. Uzumaki-good-bye and thank you."

Himawari embraced her warmly as they said their good-byes.

"We never thought he'd find anyone!" She gushed.

Yuna flushed, and Boruto rolled his eyes.

"Take care of yourself, Yuna dear," Hinata said kindly.

"Let me just grab my jacket upstairs," Boruto told Yuna.

Yuna watched Boruto disappear upstairs while Hinata and Himawari returned to the living area to clean up, leaving her and Naruto alone.

"You must be very proud of him."

"Immensely so. He's a very determined, very capable, very bright young man. But between you and me, Yuna, it's seeing him like he is this evening—carefree, acting his age—that's the real thrill for his mother and me. We were both commenting on it today. I believe we have you to thank for that."

Yuna thought she blushed to her roots. What was she supposed to say to this?

"Ever since Kawaki...he's been distant. We never thought we'd see him like this again. Whatever you're doing, please don't stop. We'd like to see him happy." He stopped suddenly, as if he'd overstepped the mark. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Yuna shook her head. "I'd like to see him happy, too," she muttered, unsure of what else to say.

"Well, I'm very glad you came this evening. It's been a real pleasure seeing the two of you together."

"That's enough talking with old men." Boruto was at her side again. Naruto laughed.

"Less of the 'old', son. I've been known to have my moments." Naruto winked at her playfully and sauntered toward the living area.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Yuna felt some of the tension leaving her shoulders. Jeez, what a day. She was exhausted physically and emotionally.

They meandered for a while, chatting casually. After a bit, they came to the red bridge. All the color had bled from the sky, leaving it inky black. Stars shimmered in the darkness.

Their walking slowed and came to a stop and Yuna leaned casually forward against the guardrail. As she gazed at her reflection in the moonlit water, she could feel him watching her. "Can I ask you a question?" Boruto said.

"Of course."

He hesitated. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. When we left your place earlier, it seemed like something was bothering you."

For a moment Yuna said nothing, unsure whether or not to answer. Finally she decided,  _Why not?_ And she reached over, lifting his wrist. Knowing what she wanted, he slipped his arm over her shoulder, allowing her to lean against him.

"I just have a lot on my mind."

"Like what?"

"My clan will be here in Konoha in a few days. It's not like them to pay us a visit. I can't help but wonder. With that and this whole thing with Ataru, it's kinda put me on edge."

He pulled back to study her. "Did something else happen?"

She shook her head. "It was just something Sarada said...Hell, even Yūhei said the same thing."

"What did they say?"

She hesitated for a second, twisting her hands and fingers in front of her. "How do you think Ataru feels about me?"

Boruto studied her intently. Never had she asked him a question like that. She was always the one to defend his feeling towards her and their warped relationship, but now, looking at her sad eyes that was filled with absolutely love and joy just a moment ago, put him on edge. "I don't understand."

"Do you think he cares for me more than I do about him? It's just…both Yūhei and Sarada told me that Ataru is in love with me, but I don't see it. I know he loves me, but as a sister...right?" Yuna's voice caught as the words left her.

Boruto paused as he thought back to every encounter he had with his brown-eyed enemy. Time and again Ataru portrayed his affection for Yuna in a multiple of ways, but was that really love?

"I honestly don't know. I know that he cares deeply for you, but I'm not sure if that is out of love or because he is being territorial."

Confused, she asked, "What do you mean by territorial?"

"Think about it. Think back to the very beginning. Ataru has always been around you, even when you didn't know. I had caught him following you a number of times along with him claiming you were his." Yuna's brows knitted at this news. He claimed her as his? "I think if it ever came down to saving you, your parents, Ryōgi, or even the village, it would always be you."

Yuna's heart tightened and she realized it wasn't the answer she'd been hoping for.

"I see," she smiled weakly at him, then shakes her head. "Enough of about me, you should open your gift. And don't laugh, okay? I'm not really good at the whole gift giving thing."

He smirked at her. From the inside his jacket pocket he pulled out the small box she gave him that contained her present.

"Open it," she whispered, and her heart started pounding.

"I was hoping you'd say that," he murmured. "This has been driving me crazy."

Yuna grinned impishly at him. She felt giddy. He gave her his shy smile, and she melted despite her thumping heart, delighting in his amused yet intrigued expression. With deft fingers, he unwrapped and opened the box.

His brow creases as he fished out a small, rectangular, cotton cloth featuring a swirl within a circle. It depicts his clan's symbol with his initials stitched on the right hand corner of the cloth.

"It's two gifts in one," Yuna explained. "During our first mission together your previous cleaning cloth was soiled with blood. Unfortunately I couldn't wash it all out. So instead I made you this one. As for the second…"

He stared down at the diamond inside the box for a minute. It was beautiful, clear and about three inches wide. He then gazed at her, bemused, a frown marring his lovely brow. He didn't want her getting into trouble using her kekkei genkai.

"I know what you're going to say," she whispered. "but I promise I didn't create this one for selfish intentions. I know you tend to worry about me quite a bit, so I thought I'd make you a little something to put your mind at ease. As long as I am alive, that diamond will never crack."

"This is so neat. The best birthday present I've ever had." He glanced at her, his eyes soft and warm. "Better than my signed Kagemasa poster."

"Are you sure? Like I said, I'm not really good at gift giving. I'm really sorry if it's lame."

He chuckled. "It's not lame. It's perfect. Like you."

And before she could protest, his hand was at the back of her head, pulling her in for a kiss. The moment their lips touched, an electric current raced down Yuna's spine, leaving her tingling and breathless. Boruto's tongue traced her lower lip before nibbling it gently. His tongue slid through her parted lips to sweep over her teeth and explore every familiar corner of her mouth. Yuna was caught up in that wonderful, dizzying sensation, so much more that a tiny whimper escaped her. That was all the encouragement Boruto needed.

With minimal effort, he pushed her against the wooden guardrail and slung her thigh over his hip. Suddenly her groin was pressed against Boruto's, and it was easy for Yuna to tell that she was having an effect on him. The hardening bulge in his pants was pressed intimately against her, and only the thin layer of her satin panties shielded her from the roughness of his pants.  _Holy shit!_ The contact made Yuna moan wantonly against his lips, her temperature spiking as moisture began to gather in her panties.

He let his fingers trail up her outer thighs slowly, feeling her silky skin and the flexing of her muscles beneath. She shivered softly and moaned in encouragement as the simple touch made the heat inside her flare exponentially.

Her fingers tightened in his hair as his hands came to rest on her hips, instantly taking control as he pulled her toward him the same time he bucked up, driving his cloth covered cock up against her sensitive folds making her cry out softly in delighted surprise.

She was panting heatedly, as if she had just finished running several miles but she seemed full of energy as she tried to raise her hips of her own accord and grind on him faster, clearly enjoying the feel of him against her.

Boruto was suddenly aware that this was almost like sex with their clothes still in place and indeed, the musky, feminine smell of Yuna's arousal was already filling his nostrils. He hadn't meant for it to get this hot and heavy but he couldn't stop himself, not with her sweet gasps and moans that were contributing to his erection almost as much as the friction between them was.

This was too much. This wasn't right. But oh god, he was loving every second of it.

Yuna was lost in a way she had never been before. Every touch set her ablaze and she couldn't silence her heavy, broken breaths nor the occasional whimper that slipped past her lips. His hands were sliding up her sides now, grazing the outer curves of her breasts and she arched into this touch wantonly, craving more contact.

The movement made it quite obvious what she wanted and the Jōgan user only hesitated a moment before letting both hands cup her breasts gently. She sighed in pleasure as the soft mounds nestled into his palms and Boruto could feel the hard buds of her distended nipples through the fabric.

She cooed softly, her head lolling back as he began to knead the supple mounds gently. Even in his current state of near frantic lust, he still had enough sense to treat her virgin body with care, wanting to bring her the same pleasure she was giving him.

He let his thumbs brush over tightened nipples and was considering slipping a hand under the cup and feeling the soft flesh when something caught his attention.

The front of his pants was beginning to feel a little damp and when he looked down to the place where her legs were spread wide, he immediately realized why. The fabric covering her mound was now a darker shade of red than the rest of her panties, proof that she had soaked right through the crotch of them with her arousal and had rubbed against him so much that his own pants were damp with it. The fact that he had had turned her on this much was a bit of an ego boost and also incredibly sexy. He stared at the dark spot in fascination, breathing in her spicy sweet smell until could not hold back any longer.

"Yuna," he growled against her neck, his voice thick with lust as one hand descended down her stomach to the waistband of her panties. "You're wet."

Yuna shivered as his fingers traced the line that separated flesh from fabric and tried to clear her head enough to comprehend what he had said.

"Huh?" she panted, her normally sharp mind hazy with need.

"You're wet," he repeated, his voice warm with the smile that formed on his lips at her disorientation.

Yuna finally understood, stilling her hips at last and looking down to see that she had indeed soaked through the crotch of her panties. She tried to close her knees as mortification set in, for nothing like this had ever happened to her before. Nobody had turned her on like this before! She had wanted Boruto to think of her as a sexy woman but not a sex crazed harlot. Yet, he didn't seem disgusted at all and braced his palms against her thighs to keep her legs spread wide.

"Don't be embarrassed," he breathed, rubbing his hands up and down her thighs. She supposed it was meant to be soothing but all it did was make the fire in her burn hotter. She was so aroused that she could feel the inner walls of her sex contracting every now and then as they sought to pull something into her body that wasn't there, craving the flesh of a man to fill her aching need. The ball of tissue above her opening was throbbing and she had no doubt it was probably swollen and hot, pulsing in time with her swiftly beating heart. She waited breathlessly, tense and trembling against the wall for his next move.

Without thinking, he moved his hand even lower and let a single finger ghost over the drenched fabric, feeling its slick texture against his finger and the pulsating flesh of her sex just below the surface.

Yuna couldn't contain her shrill gasp. Just the faintest brush of his finger over her engorged clit sent violent tremors through her and made her vaginal muscles contract abruptly. If he rubbed her just a little harder, she was sure she would go out of her mind.

Just then, they heard voices approaching, and he pushed away from her in the blink of an eye, leaving her hanging. Three men in Konoha flak jackets looked at both of them and smirked as they passed by. Her heart rate was through the roof, she felt like she'd ran an uphill race. She wanted to lean over and grasp her knees...but that was just too obvious.

She glanced up at Boruto. He looked so cool and calm.  _How unfair._ He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, and he gently blew out a deep breath. His blue eyed gaze alone made her heart throb and her core tighten. What would sex with Boruto be like? If he was half as good at the act as he was at foreplay, then it would no doubt be mind blowing. The fact that she was even thinking about it was absurd.

"I-I should go," she stammered awkwardly. "It's getting kind of late."

The whiskered shinobi nodded, still slightly out of breath. He still had a raging hard on in his pants that made thinking about anything else difficult. He wanted her to come back to him, to let him pick up where they had left off, but even now the voice in his mind warned that it wasn't a good idea.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna ran at breakneck speed back to the house, oblivious to the heads that turned as she passed. She made it back in record time and had to tell herself to calm down.

Now that she had sobered and the lust had faded away, she realized just what she had done with her boyfriend. When she had gone to dinner with him today she had not expected it to end with her pinned against the guardrail with his long and calloused fingers tracing her most intimate parts. She was still wet, she could feel it, and the memory of what he had made her feel made her woozy all over again.

She reached the steps of her house and she eased her key into the lock. Upon entering, she heard her father's heavy snoring from the back of the house. Despite his proficient abilities as ninja, he could sleep like the dead when in a place he felt was secure. She could have slammed the front door shut and he probably would have continued slumbering unawares.

She headed to her room and closed the door behind her, unstrapping the kunai holster around her thigh and tossing it to the floor. Next came the fishnet arm and leg bands, and then her skirt. As she stripped, she moved toward the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothing in her wak

She let her mind evaluate what had just happened. He had touched her where she had never let anybody touch before and it had felt good, better than good, incredible actually. Did that mean Boruto was considering the same thing she had or was he just caught up in the moment? Chances were he had just gotten carried away or had simply followed her lead. She had obviously wanted to feel pleasure and he had given her a taste of it, letting her once again see that other side of him that was so carefully locked away beneath his exterior. She considered herself strong and capable but he had reduced her to a pile of moaning mush, and she didn't trust herself to crumble like that around anyone but him.

She sort of liked the feeling of giving in, of submitting, of letting herself be taken and forced to feel pleasure so exquisite that she couldn't even process it, but only with Boruto. She would never drop her guard like that around anyone else. Then again, she longed to push him down and make sure he was the one moaning and writhing. Boruto was a powerful man and incapacitating him via seduction was awfully alluring.

The thought made the heat inside her began to pulse again, but not painfully overwhelming like it had been with Boruto. She was tempted to slip a hand between her legs and see if she could recreate what Boruto had started, but she knew her own touches would never come close.

A smile formed on her lips as she reached for her shampoo.

Today had taught her something. She was sure that when she did have her first orgasm, she wanted it to be with him.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Ataru Katayama sourly observed the heated scene below him. He was usually a calm and rational individual. His level headedness made him a good team leader when he lead fellow teammates on missions. But the Katayama was currently gripped by the cold, green fingers of jealousy and it was clouding his normally lucid mind with anger. Everything had been going great with Yuna until Boruto showed up.

This was not acceptable. Boruto would ruin all his plans if he swept Yuna off her feet. She was his. He had chosen her as his bride before Boruto had ever laid eyes on her. His hope that Yuna would come to her senses and lose interest was beginning to fade. It was time that Ataru take action if he wanted his woman back.

 **A/N:** Reviews, pretty please?


	22. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

**A/N:** Woo! This chapter is done at last. I made sure to make it extra long, just for you all. Thanks for all the feedback, follows and favorites. It's very much appreciated. Please, please keep it coming. As always, it gives me so much motivation to continue. :)

Rated M for mature. :) Enjoy. :P

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

Yuna plodded tiredly through the large village gates of Konoha, her sandaled feet falling heavy. Though she had been avoiding it since she was informed of their impending arrival, Yuna still had one place to visit, and she was not looking forward to the experience in the slightest. But it needed to be done.

The trees were swaying gently in the autumn breeze that day, and the air was crisp but warm enough that the exertion of the walk kept her comfortable.

Taking out her trusty novel, she began walking down the street, enjoying the good story, and temporarily preoccupy her mind.

As much as Yuna was enjoying her book, considering she hadn't been able to focus enough to read much lately, she was still not as oblivious as to the shouting ahead go unnoticed as she walked down the street towards the Hokage's office.

"I swear I had nothing to do with this, I'm innocent!"

Yuna's gaze drifted to the scene in front of Konoha's Water Purification Plant and slowed to a stop as two members from the police force detained the emotional man.

Replacing the orange jacketed book safely in her kunai pouch, the kunoichi ambled over to Boruto, who was standing amongst a group of lingering spectators.

"Hi," she murmured.

"Hi." He put his arm around her waist, pulling her to him, and she slipped her hand into the back pocket of his pants. They gazed at the scene before them.

"What's going on?"

"They're saying he poisoned Konoha's whole water system," he replied.

Yuna gasped.

"That's horrible. Why would he do such a thing?"

"No one knows," he said. "Though he's claiming to have no recollection of ever doing it."

 _No recollection?_  She peeked up at Boruto and he was staring down at her, warily.

It's clear he's thinking the same thing as her. She herself had apparently experienced the same thing as this man. Then bile rose to her throat at the suspected person. Rapidly, she dismissed them from her head.  _Don't go there, Yuna!_

"I swear, I didn't do it! I love this village and its people!" The man cried as they hauled him away.

The two shinobi watched in silence until they were no longer in sight. Boruto turned to Yuna and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "So, about yesterday…"

Yuna gazed at Boruto and furrowed her brow. "Are you apologizing?"

"No," he said quickly, with a nervous glance at her. "I mean...did you want me to?"

She shook her head.

"No. I actually liked it...alot." She confessed, blushing.

"Good." There's a trace of humor lurking in his eyes.

As Yuna was about to stretch up on tiptoes to kiss him, an ANBU in full uniform suddenly dropped from the rooftops to the ground in front of them.

"Yuna Katayama, your presence is required at the Hokage tower immediately," the anonymous man said from behind the red and white bird mask.

She stared at the ANBU wearily. "Neh, what will happen if I choose not to go?"

"Then I'll be forced to take drastic measures and personally take you there myself."

 _Holy crap_. Yuna tried to swallow, but it was hard with a dry mouth.

"Understood. I'll be there in a moment."

The messenger hesitated for a brief moment before leaving, and she tightened her grip on Boruto's hand. He glanced at her reassuringly. He knew she was dreading her family's arrival. He squeezed her hand and his thumb stroked her knuckles, calming her.

"I'll be waiting for you at Thunder Burger, okay?"

She nodded mutely.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

As Yuna marched down the final hall to the Hokage's office, she found her father waiting, leaning up against the wall. But her mother and Ataru were nowhere to be found.

"Are we going to wait for mom and Ataru?" She asked.

"No, it will just be the two of us," he said. "Unfortunately your mother and Ataru were called out due to the rash of poisonings that occurred this morning."

"Oh."

"Everything is going to be fine, sweetheart." He said reassuringly.

_Doubtful…_

"Is there really a point in me being here?"

"Yuna-"

She threw her head back and groaned. "C'mon dad, you see the way they look at us, especially me. I hate it."

"I know," he said and placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "But they'll only be here a couple of days at most."

"The longest two days of my life," she muttered.

He smiled paternally at her. "Let's go, kiddo."

As he opened the door to the office, Yuna stood frozen.

Her heart pounded frantically, her palms damp at the sight before her. Standing in the middle of the room stood her uncle, Keiji, and beside him, the leader of the Katayama clan and grandfather, Taizō. The Hokage sat behind his desk, tensely silent, and beside him, his assistant, Shikamaru Nara.

Her uncle spoke up first. "Hello, Masaru," he greeted him coolly.

"Brother," Her father is equally cool.

Keiji turned to Yuna and shook his head in mock disgust.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. The way they looked at Yuna was how the villagers once looked at him when he was a child.

"It's been a while, Masaru." Her grandfather told her father. "How have you been?"

"Why are you here?" he asked, ignoring his question.

Keiji frowned at him.

"Is that how you greet us after all these years?"

"Just answer my question without the bullshit," Masaru said, even voice sounding almost calm despite all the tension.

Keiji crossed his arms and stared.

"We received word that your...offspring managed to use Napalm Fist and survived the after effects of the jutsu. Is this true?"

Masaru frowned. "You sent someone to scout my daughter?"

He smirked. "Don't look so surprised, Masaru. You know exactly where she and her mother originate from. It's purely just a precautionary measure."

"There is no need to send a scout to monitor one of our own," The Hokage said automatically, but there's an edge to his voice. "I can assure you that Yuna and her mother have been nothing more than upstanding citizens to this village."

A smile graced Yuna's lips at the Hokage's words.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Hokage-sama," Hideki said. "We received word of a possible diamond that was pawned off in a small town just outside the Fire countries border a few months ago."

Yuna's stomach fell to the floor. Sickness tore through her.  _Oh shit...Oh shit...Oh fuck…._

She chanced a look into her father's eyes. He cast her an emotionless look.

"I can assure you my daughter is not foolish enough to create a diamond and pawn it off for some dirty money when she is aware of the clan's rules," he said in a low tone.

"Ah. I see." Her uncle smiled again. "But then again, it's so like you to tolerate such disobedience. You were always so weak."

Yuna's jaw clenched.

"Keiji." An undercurrent of warning came through as her grandfather uttered his name. "We did not come here to argue. There is another matter that needs to be discussed: Napalm Fist. If the child indeed used it, she would have gained a seal."

Yuna clutched the fabric over her heart that covered the seal.

Keiji took a step toward Yuna. "Show us the seal."

Before Yuna could speak, her father came to step between them. "My daughter isn't entitled to show you a damn thing."

"Then she's a fraud!"

"Watch your mouth," Masaru hissed angrily. "Yuna works harder than anyone I've ever known. She made that technique her own. You're not about to take that away from her."

"Don't be foolish, Masaru. That technique would benefit the clan tremendously." Taizō told him.

"That's not for me to decide."

"And why not? Aren't you her father? Make her tell us." he shot back.

"The decision is Yuna's,"

Keiji turned to Yuna. "Tell us."

Yuna stared down at her knotted fingers. What should she do? More than anything she wanted to be accepted into her father's clan. Her younger, naive self would have handed over the jutsu's formula without a moment's hesitation in hopes of being acknowledged. However, it was time to face facts as they were and accept reality.

Drawing a deep breath that did nothing to calm her, she said, "I agree that Napalm Fist would indeed become useful to the clan. However, I'm no longer affiliated with your clan. I haven't been for some time now. My jutsu's, along with myself, belong to Konoha."

"You selfish little bitch," Keiji snarled.

"How dare you!" Masaru shouted, staggered by his audacity.

The younger brother ignored him and continued. "That technique belongs to the Katayama clan, not to some washed up Hoga to…"

Masaru smashed his fist into his younger brother's jaw. Keiji was stunned by the attack and fell back against the wall, dazed.

"Don't you dare talk to my daughter like that!" He shouted at him. "If you're so damn curious as to how the technique works, I suggest you figure it out for yourself!"

Keiji gaped at him, horror struck, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand. Yuna thought he was about to lunge at her father, but he was suddenly shunted forward at the Hokage's booming voice.

"Enough," he roared. Oh crap-Very Angry Naruto had reared his not-so-ugly head. People are going to hear.

"We're finished here." He paused, glaring at Keiji and Taizō. "Arrangements have already been made at the downtown Konoha hotel for a two nights stay." His voice was softer but dripped contempt, and suddenly she didn't want to be there. She didn't want to witness this heated encounter. She was intruding. But she was stuck-her limbs unwilling to move.

Her uncle swallowed and seemed to draw himself upright. His stance changed subtly, becoming more defensive-angry even. He frowned, his face darkening, and his mouth pressed into a thin, hard line.

"And need we remind you of the treaty your clan has signed," Shikamaru added.

"There will be no need for that; we're aware of the negotiations set between our clan and the Hoga's residing in your village." Taizō said.

Her uncle's face twisted into an unpleasant sneer. "We'll be in contact once we obtain the diamond."

With that, the two men turned and left the room.

Her father's stance changed immediately, his eyes hardening to flint as he turned to Yuna. "Again?" he snarled.

_Oh, shit._

"Did you make a diamond?"

Yuna just gazed at him, unable to speak. He's mad-really mad.

"Christ, Yuna!" He banged his fist on the door, making her jump. "You had one thing, one thing to remember. I don't believe it. How could you be so stupid?"

 _Stupid!_ She gasped. Shit. She wanted to tell him that she pawned it off before they moved to Konoha, but words failed her. She gazed down at her fingers. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Sorry?" he said again.

"I made a mistake…"

"A mistake!" he shouted. "You know damn well that technique is forbidden." He closed his eyes. She thought he was trying to control his temper and losing the battle.

"Does Ataru know about this? Tell me." His eyes blaze and anger emanates off him like a force field.

"No," she whispered. She couldn't tell him about Ataru-he'd be in the same boat as her.

"I thought we had agreed on this!" he shouted.

"I know. We had. I'm sorry." Tears start to slip down at her face.

"Don't start with waterworks now," he snapped. He ran a hand through his hair, pulling at it as he did.

Yuna recognized something familiar in her father's eyes-disgust. Clenching her fists and gritting her teeth, she shook her head, sending black bangs into downcast eyes.

"Stop. Stop it." She glared up at him, her voice low. "Stop looking at me like that!"

Her father blinked at her, surprised by her outburst.

"Why? Why does everyone in our clan, even my own father...why do you all look at me like that?!" She cried.

"Yuna…I…" He stopped, gazing at her with anguish, and he closed his eyes and shook his head. "Go home. We'll talk as soon as I finish up here."

Yuna turned to the Hokage.

"Can I please be dismissed?" she asked him tearfully, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

"Yes, you're free to go." Naruto shrugged apologetically. He looked devastated. "I'll send for you if I need more information on the diamonds whereabouts," he murmured.

"Hai." She dried her eyes, then left the room.

"Go easy on her, Masaru." The Hokage said quietly. "She realizes she made mistake. Knowing her, she'll do everything in her power to make amends. But I can't help but think about the way those two looked and treated her. Right now, more than anything, she needs her father. In the meantime, I'll figure something out regarding the diamond that was pawned off."

Masaru paused. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama," he said quietly.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna closed the door behind her. She leaned into the door, cursing herself and wishing she had never made that stupid diamond. Her fingers trembled but she managed to make the hand signs for a clone and a replica of herself poofed into existence.

"No way," her clone frowned, already knowing her intentions.

"Just go be me for a few hours," Yuna said, shooing her away.

"Why am I the one who has to get chewed out?"

"At least you're not the one who has to endure the punishment."

"Touché." The duplicate shrugged and took off, jogging back to the place where her father was expecting her to be. The original Yuna, however, took off to Thunder Burger where everyone was awaiting her arrival.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"Seriously, what were you thinking, baka?" Shikadai was sitting across from her.

Yuna folded her arms on the table, letting her head sink into them.

"I know," she replied in a small voice, not wanting the reminder.

"I don't even know what to say to you."

"Then don't say anything at all. Shikadai...I'm exhausted, I'm upset, and I'm ready to seriously lose it. I don't need you berating me, making this all my fault." Her voice wavered as she brushed away a tear that had broken free. "I know it is, but I can't bear you telling me that right now. I can't take it."

Shikadai remained resolutely silent, and she knew he was not happy. "I need some air. I'll talk to you guys later." As soon as Yuna stood up to leave the booth, a hand came down on her shoulder, pushing her back down onto the booth.

"What do you know, I thought I smelled a filthy Hoga." The female voice was familiar.  _Fuck!_

Her scalp prickled and all the hair on her body stood to attention as adrenaline flooded through her system and her world stopped spinning.

Mika Katayama.

Boruto's gaze lifted to the two unknown people standing behind Yuna. The first one, a woman, had long purple hair that was pulled into a high ponytail but the length still flowed down her back. She was slender, and a little on the short side but not too short. Her attire was dark-pink colouring with a lining of purple, grey, and yellow, and a matching disconnected arm warmers that reached down to her light-purple spandex shorts and a pair of black low-heeled boots that reached her calves. She was well muscled, but still feminine, undoubtedly a kunoichi. When she turned to face her, one dazzling amethyst eye fixed on her, the other was hidden beneath a simple black eye patch.

The man standing behind the purple haired woman had brown eyes and short brown hair, though his right bang hanged over his face and slightly passed his chin. He wore a white sleeveless keikogi with an upturned collar, under which is a green-lined mesh armour T-shirt. He also wore a pair of black arm guards and a pair of fingerless gloves, and wore his black forehead protector around his left arm.

"Mika...and Taro too," Yuna laughed nervously. "What an unexpected surprise. Uncle never mentioned anything about you two being here."

"We wanted it to be a surprise, just for you." She tilted her head to one side. "No Ataru, today? That's a first. I mean, you two are usually joined at the hip."

"He's been a little busy lately," Yuna answered. She didn't need to know about their heated argument that had occurred between them.

"That's to be expected. He is a prodigy after all; someone the clan values. But you know all about that, don't you?"

Her voice was the usual sultry laced with bitch that she'd remembered from their last encounter.

"That's not true," Boruto piped up. "You just don't know about Yuna's amazing side."

Mika's one-eyed gaze drifted to Boruto. "Well, hello there. What's your name?"

"Boruto. Boruto Uzumaki."

Her eye widened. "The Hokage's son," Mika gushed, obviously intrigued, and as she said it, she briefly touched his arm in a small, flirty gesture. Boruto stiffened immediately but subtly. She didn't even seem to notice.

Yuna shook her head in resignation.  _He's mine, girlfriend._

She turned to face her. "What do you want, Mika?"

Mika leaned back against the table casually, crossing her arms in front of her. "I thought we could catch up. I was so worried when father told me you almost died from chakra exhaustion."

Yuna's lips pulled into a tight line. She wouldn't take her bait. "I bet."

"I'm sure it was all pretty overwhelming for you, using that jutsu."

"What are you talking about?"

"Napalm Fist, of course. Let's not pretend we don't know the consequences of using that jutsu." She gave her a full smile and leaned her hip on the table, cocking her head as if she were sizing her up. "You never struck me as the kind of girl who could wield such power let alone sacrifice yourself to a threat."

"Guess you wouldn't, huh? After all, you've spent a majority of our childhood avoiding me as if I were the plague."

A smile twisted up the side of Mika's face. She pushed away from the table and reached for the milkshake sitting in front of Yuna. She pulled the lid off the drink and poured it over Yuna's head. She gasped.

A sneer marred the perfect planes of her face. "Reality check, little rat. You can work as hard as you like, you can train twenty-four hours a day, but you will always be  _nothing_."

"Hey, you!" Sarada growled, standing abruptly. Yuna lifted a hand, stopping her and shook her head sadly. "Why not?! You can't make them like you, but you don't have to let them bully you."

"That's okay," she said with a forced smile.

Mika grimaced, and lunged towards Yuna with her fist. "Why are you smiling? You Hoga trash!"

Shikadai had already formed the hand signs for his jutsu before he even realized what he was doing and his shadow immediately elongated towards the purple haired woman, reaching her feet and fusing with her own shadow, stopping her dead in her tracks.

It didn't take Mika long to realize what had happened, especially when she glanced down upon being paralyzed to discover a second shadow had melded with her own.

"Don't interfere," she hissed angrily. "She asked for this. If you mess with me, I'll take you down too."

"You're the one messing with others," Shikadai said. "If you don't want to attract attention, don't do stupid stuff. Your way of life is so uncool."

Taro stepped forward. "Enough already, Mika. Beating her up won't replace what you've lost. You should know that." He said then turned his attention back to Shikadai. "Please excuse my sister. She can be a bit...heedless when it comes to the Hoga girl."

"Yuna," Boruto frowned. "her name is Yuna."

Taro's eyes flickered to Boruto, then back to Shikadai. "Yuna," he repeated. "Now please, if you could release your hold on my sister, we'll be on our way."

Shikadai paused a moment before releasing his jutsu.

"Hmph!" Mika snorted, and with a flip of her hair, she turned on her heel, stomping toward the door. Taro sighed and, without a word, followed her out. She gazed after them, but Sarada distracted her.

"Why do you let her walk all over you like that?"

"Mika never used to be like that," She shook her head sadly, and then smiled. "Believe it or not, we were once really close, inseparable really." She grabbed a few napkins out of the dispenser in the middle of the table and attempted to clean the mess from her hair.

"What happened?" Denki asked, curious, glancing at her.

Yuna paused. "Long story short, I was the one who was responsible for Mika losing her left eye."

Everyone waited in silence for her to continue.

"It was an accident, but unfortunately she and the rest of the Katayama clan never saw it that way," she continued quietly. "Mika had always been such a skilled fighter; I looked up to her. Every time we came down to visit, our fathers would hold this sparring session. She managed to get the upper hand and I sort of freaked out, releasing a bunch of carbon spikes and hitting her in the process."

Yuna grinned her trademark grin and rose. "But that was all in the past. No sense dwelling on it, am I right? What's done is done. Nothing I can do will ever change that."

"Yuna…" Sarada murmured, her voice brimming with sincerity.

"I'm sorry you all had to witness my crazy family," she laughed. "But I should really head out. I need to clean this mess from out of my hair."

Boruto rose as she started to leave.

"Are you okay?" Boruto murmured. Taking off his jacket, he draped it over her shoulders as soon as they were outside.

"Okay?"

"After what happened at the Hokage's office? After what happened with your cousin back there?" he added, his voice quiet and earnest.

She gazed into dark, serious, eyes.  _Am I okay?_

"Yes," she whispered.

His arms tightened around her, and she felt safe, cherished, and loved all at once. It was blissful. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the feel of being in his arms. She loved this man. She loved his intoxicating scent, his strength-her Boruto.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna wrung the excess water from her hair. After leaving Thunder Burger, Boruto and Yuna decided to head down to the lake where he first taught her how to fish.

The air was perfectly warm with the breeze blowing over them. The waves crashed gently onto the shore. This was only her second time here, but even so, she had a really hard time worrying about anything. Something about the hypnotic and soothing motion of the waves and the waterfall washed away the noise and the stress that had taken up residence in her mind. Even now, with everything she was dealing with, she felt a rare sense of peace.

She wanted to hold onto that for as long as she could. She made a silent mental note to get out here more. The long journey would be worth it.

"Let's go in."

Yuna laughed. "Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how cold it is in there?"

"I know exactly how cold it is. I've been swimming up here all my life. Come on, don't wimp out on me." His lips curled up into a mischievous smile.

"No, thanks. I'll stick with hot springs and warmer seas."

Boruto stripped off his clothes until he was half naked in his boxers. His skin was pale but taunt, stretched over sinewy muscles that flexed with every movement. He was beautiful, sculpted and defined, tempting her brain to conjure images of what the rest of his anatomy looked like.

Before she could get lost in her own thoughts again, Boruto hoisted her up and over his shoulder. The sand traveled below them too quickly as he carried her to the water.

"No, Boruto. Let me go!" Yuna screamed, trying to be legitimately angry, but she laughed as he waded in. She rotated her shrieks with uncontrollable laughter, kicking and trying to wriggle free from his grasp. He was past his waist now and she was really starting to worry. He wouldn't really throw her in, would he?

"Boruto, stop, don't you dare! Put me down!"

"Whatever you say." With that, he tossed her in, giving her just enough air so that she crashed loudly into the water. Yuna sucked in a quick breath. The cold river water rushed around her, shocking her senses. She let herself sink until she nearly touched the sandy bottom. The buoyancy of her body and the undulation of the river brought her back to the surface a moment later.

She filled her lungs with another breath as Boruto swam away. She smiled and swam after him as fast as her arms and legs would take her. He was going to get it now. He turned just in time for her to catch him. She leveraged herself on his shoulders and tried to push him down into the water with all her strength. The effort was pointless. Humoring her, he feigned the dunk. He disappeared under the water.

Yuna stood there and waited. She tried to follow his path but lost him, feeling anxious and oddly giddy. The moment lasted long enough that she started to worry a little. She scanned the waters around her. Then his arms banded around her thighs and lifted her out of the water. She screamed again and giggled. He loosened his hold, and she slid down his body, slowly and, damn it, suggestively. There was nothing between them but the thin cotton of her clothes—leaving little to the imagination.

Her smile slipped at the sensation. Her heart ratcheted up, her body coming alive in a familiar way. The water didn't seem so cold anymore. The waves lapped against their skin as he held her firmly. The bright blue of his eyes darkened slightly as his gaze dropped to her mouth. She was panting softly. Definitely from the swimming and the shock of being thrown in the water, she assured herself. Except she couldn't catch her breath now, and the hand that wasn't holding her close to him slid down her thigh, catching her at the knee to hook her around his waist. Her hands were frozen on his shoulders. She was afraid to move. He positioned her other leg so she was completely wrapped around him, her lips inches from his.

"God, you're beautiful," he whispered. He brushed his fingertips along her cheekbone and down her jaw. "How'd I get so lucky finding you?"  
 **  
**In that moment she felt like they had been together and known each other far longer than they had. Inch by inch, he caressed her, claiming every expanse of bare skin with a quiet tenderness, healing her with his hands and lips. The pain and the numbness gave way to relief, and then, to a familiar warmth that simmered below the surface.

"I love you," she whispered. She needed him to know, after everything they'd been through.

He pulled away a fraction, his expression almost pained, as if those three little words cut him to the core.

His lips met hers. Tentative at first, then more sure. She explored the depths of his mouth, tangling her tongue with his, ravenous for him. He met her with equal intensity, backing her up gently to the bedrock. A soft cry escaped her lips at the sudden contact and the fervency of his movements.

The tightness in Boruto's gut had crept into his loins, threatening to manifest physical changes over his body if he relinquished control. The creamy skin of her thighs felt so good against his calloused hands and the skirt had ridden up a little higher, allowing more access to her clothed body.

He could hear her breath coming a little harsher now, and knew she was affected by his touches. However, she hadn't uttered a word of disapproval and had made no move to stop him, and he wondered if it was a silent invitation.

His fingers slid slowly up and down her thighs, the movement slower and more sensual. Every slide of his hands brought him a little closer inward until his hands were rubbing along her inner thighs, fingertips brushing dangerously high under the skirt.

Yuna's heart was hammering, her blood rushing in her ears. The heat in her stomach had seeped into the place between her thighs that Boruto came closer and closer to touching. Was he trying to seduce her? It was pretty obvious this wasn't just a swim anymore, although she couldn't bring herself to be mad at him for it, not when every brush of his fingers sent sparks down her spine and made her body feel hot and achy.

If she asked him to stop, she was sure he would comply, but deep down, she was curious to see just how far he would go, and this sort of attention from him made her feel desired. The way he was touching her was clearly for her pleasure and not for his, and it sent warm flutters to her chest as well as in between her thighs.

She was practically panting now, and still not a word to him, good or bad. With new courage, Boruto let his hands slide high, disappearing under the skirt completely to trace the creases where her legs met her torso, and then a little further in for his fingers to slip into her fishnet shorts and into her panties before running over the soft flesh of her outer lips.

Yuna sucked in her breath sharply as his fingers ghosted around her nearly hairless sex. A steady throb started between her legs and she was tempted to tell him to hurry up and do whatever it was he was going to do, but that would break the spell between them, and she didn't want this to be over, but when his thumbs spread her apart ever so gently, she couldn't help a soft moan.

That little sound, that sweet sound of pleasure that he had imagined for so long, did him in.

His fingers had grown bold, spurred on by her ragged breathing, he let a single digit trace her slit, bottom to top, his nail grazing her clit as it passed and making her body tremble against him.

"B-Boruto?" she whimpered, hips shifting slightly as he repeated the gesture.

"Shh," he hushed against her neck softly before pressing a kiss to her nape. If she was about to stop him, he didn't want to hear it because he had come too far now. He had to hear her moan for him, uninhibited and passionate. He had to feel her slickness against his fingers as he explored her most intimate place.

His finger came back to the place that had proved most sensitive, and he let his calloused fingertip brush the swollen bud softly.

Her body jolted as if a current had passed through it and she cried out softly. He let his digit dance around her pearl teasingly, stroking and rubbing everywhere but where he knew she needed it, her sex becoming hotter and wetter all the while.

She was shuddering against him now, her breathing irregular and broken and she finally turned her head to the side, gracing him with a view of her profile. She was biting her lip against the sensations while she squeezed her eyes shut and Boruto found the look to be so sexy that he twitched inside his boxers, having lost the fight against his own body the second he dipped his fingers in her wetness.

"Yuna," he breathed huskily, letting his finger flick over her clit softly and feeling his ego swell as she moaned low in the back of her throat. "Do you like what I'm doing?"

Her eye cracked open, a hazy slit of teal beneath dark lashes.

"Yes," she whispered, so soft that he wasn't sure he had heard it.

"What was that?" he rasped, lips brushing over the shell of her ear as his finger glided over her sensitive button once more.

"Y-yes," she panted, shuddering as he played with her pearl.

He let his lips press to her neck, her shoulders, her cheek as his skilled fingers administered a sort of micro massage that left her moaning and trembling deliciously, rubbing and pressing and pinching her clit with varying degrees of pressure and speed. He was throbbing in his boxers, painfully hard and hot, his heart pounding in time to the pulse he felt in her clit. She was squirming against him now, not violently, but enough to make him press his body further onto hers to keep her still.

"Yuna," he whispered again, lips tracing her jaw as his fingers abandoned her pulsating clit to trace her quivering entrance. "You're so wet, so hot. Do you want me inside?"

His ambiguous question was hard to focus on. Did he want what inside her? His fingers? His manhood? Yuna realized that she didn't really care what part he was referring to. He had teased her mercilessly, dancing around her greatest need until she felt so empty that she would do anything to be filled and she wanted relief now.

"Yes," she whimpered, her teal gaze meeting his as his nose nuzzled her cheek.

He didn't nod or utter a word saying he had heard her, but the depths of his blue eyes seemed to grow a little less lucid before he brought his face so close that it was out of focus. She stiffened momentarily as he pressed his lips to the corner of her mouth. She would have turned her head to meet him but her position didn't give her much room to maneuver. It all become inconsequential anyway when his middle finger finally stopped fluttering around her opening and dipped inside gently, sinking in slowly to the first knuckle.

Her body shuddered violently as she cried out, eyes closing in rapture as Boruto groaned against her cheek. She was so wet, so damn tight, and absolutely blazing inside like she burned with liquid fire.

He withdrew and pushed in again, this time all the way to the third knuckle, encasing his entire finger in paradise, and groaned again as he felt her clench around him as she whispered his name in broken gasps.

Every nerve was on fire and she was fisting her hands in his hair in a white knuckled grip. Scenes in Icha Icha had described this process, but it was only a precursory activity, foreplay to warm up the woman for the main event. The way her head was spinning and her body practically singing, Yuna wondered if anything could possibly feel any better than this.

And then Boruto curled his finger inside her, massaging her now from the inside, and a blazing wave of raw pleasure passed through her, momentarily blotting out everything else except the feel of him inside her, and when it began to ebb away, her thoughts returned in a jumble, images of her father back at the house and conversations she hadn't remembered having, of the diamond and her punishment for pawning off said diamond. Her normally quick mind was clouded and slow, a fact not helped by the feel of Boruto's finger flexing inside her again but she soon pieced the info together and when she had the answer, she let out a panicked curse.

"Shit! My clone!"

The Jōgan user stilled his finger inside her, lifting his lips from her neck. "Your what?"

"My clone, the one that was back at the house so nobody would know I was missing. I lost my hold on it and she disappeared. I have to get back. I have to go now!"

She frantically pushed away from him, his finger slipping free of her sex as she did so, and stepped clumsily out of the water, the pull of the tide nearly knocking her over as she tried moving in the opposite direction.

The surge of memories into her head meant her clone had ceased to be and all the information it had acquired was sent back to her. Unfortunately, it seemed her clone wasn't alone in the living room at the time of its disappearance.

"I…um…I'll see you tomorrow," she said awkwardly before fleeing back toward the village, leaving Boruto alone in the water.

Lust had dulled his senses and he was only now piecing together what had happened. He was never this slow, even mid-coitus and he wondered what the hell kind of spell she had managed to cast on him. Now she was gone, so abruptly that her essence still covered the finger that had been deep inside her only a minute ago and he was sporting a hard on that no cold shower, no matter how long, would rectify.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna's father stood abruptly from the couch when she arrived. His frown deepened when he saw her.

"A shadow clone?" He asked, incredulously. "Where were you?"

She ignored him and marched upstairs toward the bathroom.

"Yuna," he called after her, "answer me." She heard his footsteps behind her as she walked into the bathroom. Quickly, she locked the door.

"Yuna!" Her father pounded on the door. The door rattled. "Yuna, open the door."

"Go away!"

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Suit yourself."

"Yuna, please."

Grabbing the bottle of water sitting on the sink, she began brushing her teeth. Gazing at her reflection in the mirror, she was pale, too pale. She rinsed out her mouth.

Yuna unlocked the door and open it to find her father leaning against the wall opposite, his hands behind his back. His expression was wary, that of a hunted predator. She strode past him and into her room, slamming the door, obviously upset.

Switching on her bedside lamp, Yuna unstrapped the kunai holster around her thigh and tossed it to the floor. Next came the fishnet arm and leg bands, and then her skirt. As she stripped, she moved toward the closet, leaving a trail of clothing in her wake.

She pulled a long white t-shirt from the closet and kicked the clothing on the floor into some semblance of a pile. She unbuttoned and shrugged out of her teal top and peeled away her fishnet shorts, adding them to the growing heap of garments.

She slipped into her t-shirt and climbed into bed. Taking her iPod from her nightstand, she plugged her headphones in. She choose a song haphazardly and pressed "repeat" so it would play over and over again before switching the bedside lamp off.

As she rolled over, she couldn't help but recall her father's angry words.

_You had one thing, one thing to remember._

_I don't believe it._

_How could you be so stupid?  
_

_I thought we had agreed on this._

She rolled onto her back restlessly and willed herself to stop staring at the ceiling and instead shut her eyes. Gradually her breathing slowed, as did her racing thoughts and finally, Yuna was asleep.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Watching Yuna always got his blood pumping. He didn't know what it was about the woman, but she drove him crazy, in body and mind. It's like his soul recognized her as it's other half and was fighting desperately to get to her. It sounded corny as shit, but there was something about her that called to him. It had from the second he laid eyes on her. He knew right away that he would have her. It wasn't often that he didn't get what he wanted, and he didn't plan to start now, especially with Yuna. He never intended to take this long to make his intentions known. It was only meant to last until he was in a place where he could pursue her. But when that finally happened, he was already ensnared. Watching her became his addiction. The thrill was overwhelming, and he had no intention of stopping. Yuna was his anyway, so he didn't see how it was a problem.

He stood outside her window for another fifteen minutes, contemplating as to how much longer he could restrain himself from touching her. She walked on bare feet to her bed, and he moved to the other side of the window to keep her in view. Holding his breath, he readied his body for the sight he knew was coming. Just as predicted, with her back once again to him, she began to undress. Seeing her smooth, plump ass, he imagined himself squeezing it in his hands as he held her up against a wall and pounded into her. The thought had his cock testing the strength of his slacks.

She crawled beneath the sheets and comforter. He loved that she slept only in a plain white T-shirt. It was hot as fuck, and he'd never have to worry about her panties getting in the way when he wanted to sink into her pussy. And he knew it would be something that would happen numerous times throughout the night. He could never get enough of her, but it'd be fun as hell trying, and very satisfying, he's sure.

She fiddled with her music player for a few seconds before she placed it down beside her and turned the lamp off. The room darkened, except for the small night light she had plugged in beside the bedroom door.

He gave her forty-five minutes, and when he hadn't seen her shadowed form move for a while, he pulled his key ring from his pocket and walked to the back door. Soundlessly, he unlocked it and walk through it and into the kitchen before closing it behind him. The room was lit by the light above the stove, showing everything in its place.

An uncontrollable need to see her drove him forward up the stairs and down the hallway that lead to her room. He passed by the half bath, spare bedroom and linen closet before stopping in front of her door.

Locked.

He focused chakra to his fingers and placed them over the keyhole. Probing with his body's energy, he was able to reach deep within the mechanism and unlock it. He fisted his hands before he pushed it open. This shit was pure torture; seeing her and not being able to touch her really tested his restraint.

Once he had himself reasonably under control, he stepped over the threshold and his eyes immediately zero in on her. He kept them there as he walked slowly to the side of the bed she's on. She was lying mostly on her stomach with the sheet down to her waist, exposing her lower back, and one of her bent legs.

His eyes roam up her back and over her shoulders until they land on her face. Even in the darkness, he could see she looked relaxed in her sleep. Her thick lashes rest against her cheeks, hiding her beautiful teal eyes from him. Something pulled at his heart at her content look.

He barely suppressed the urge to crawl into bed with her. Soon, he told himself. Soon he'll allow himself the freedom of actively and openly pursuing her. His need for her was growing, and as much as he enjoyed watching her in the background, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep things like this much longer.

Ataru got down on his knees beside the bed and took in her features up close. Her thick, dark lashes rest against her cheeks. Her mouth was open slightly, and he could hear her breathing. He leaned closer and smelled the minty freshness of her toothpaste. Her hair was still up in a band, but a small portion has fallen on her cheek. Knowing he shouldn't, but unable to stop himself, he tentatively reach out and brushed it away. She released a small sigh, and he stilled as she adjusted her position. Seconds later, he released a quiet breath when she rolled more to her side, and her shirt gaped a little, revealing the swell of her breasts. He reached up and released a couple buttons on his jacket, making his rapid breaths come easier.

Making sure her eyes are still closed, his moved back to the plump mounds in front of him. Before he realized what he was doing, his hand palmed his dick. It was hard as steel and aching like a bitch in his pants. He was tempted to take it out and really give it a rub, but he nixed the idea. He was already taking a risk by being in here, but it was something he couldn't control. It was not something he wanted to control. Being in her vicinity felt too good and right.

He sat there for a good hour, just watching her sleep, before he forced his legs to stand. He didn't want to leave her. Every time he did it got harder and harder. His need grew every day. He was not under the illusion that it'll be easy. He had no doubt she'll put up a big fight once she found out what all he's done. He knew he'd gone too far with his obsession and it would freak her out in the beginning, but in the end, she'll be his. He had every confidence she would be. Once she realized that he was the only man for her, that he was the only man that could give her what she needed and wanted— not just materialistically, but emotionally—she'll see reason. It's cliché as shit and it may make him sound like a pussy, but he was the man that would love her the hardest and made it his mission in life to keep her happy.

With one last glance at Yuna's face, he reluctantly left her behind. Knowing he'll see her tomorrow made it easier, but not by much.

He pulled Yuna's door closed behind him, just the way it was, and slowly made his way back down her hallway. His chest hurts with every step he took away from her. It's ridiculous to feel this way.

He loved all the excitement of creeping around, watching her, obsessing over her, but the most important reason he hadn't openly pursued Yuna yet was because of the anger he knew she'd feel toward him once she found out the lengths he'd gone to to invade her privacy for his own selfish reasons. He wasn't ready for her anger, her hate, or even worse, her fear.

He planned to have one hell of a fight on his hands, but it would be worth it, and no matter what it took, he would have her where he wanted her.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Coming at last to the floor on which the Hokage's office was located, Boruto made his way down the hallway to the door his father was behind. Lifting his hand, he rapped lightly on the door with his knuckles, not wanting to barge in if his father was in the middle of something important.

"Come in." a strong, male voice called and the Chūnin immediately obeyed.

"Boruto, what brings you here?" His father asked from behind a large wood desk, lifting his blue colored eyes from the numerous documents spread out before him.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "I have a request."

 **A/N:**  Reviews? Pretty please?


	23. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

**A/N: Sorry for the wait everyone. This was a tough chapter for me to write for some reason, but inspiration had hit and the words just flowed. Thanks for all those who've reviewed/followed/favorite Mint to Take. More to come. :) Please don't forget to drop a review. I love to hear what you all have to think.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

"Eh?" Yuna whined from her spot on Boruto's bed. She watched as he packed his overnight bag for the mission he himself was about to head out for. "No fair. How come you get to go on some top secret mission? I want to go to…"

"You probably would be going if your family wasn't in town," he said.

Yuna rolled her eyes. "Lame…" she muttered. "What are you going to be doing on this mission anyway?"

A smirk formed on his lips. "I already told you, its classified."

"Don't be mean," She pouted her bottom lip a little. "I'm going to be bored without you."

Boruto smiled and kissed her. "Don't pout. This mission is going to be a piece of cake. Trust me, you're not missing out on anything exciting."

He glanced to the orange book lying beside her. "Besides," he added. "you'll have your smut books to occupy you while I'm away."

"How dare you talk about Icha Icha like that?" Yuna feigned an offended expression, but he could hear her amusement. "Icha Icha can be very educational when it comes to swooning women I'll have you know."

"You're out of your mind."

"A little, but that's why you love me." She winked. Reluctantly, Yuna got up off the bed and moved toward the door. "Be safe and bring me back something nice."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

As soon as she left the Uzumaki residence, Yuna flipped open her book and was soon engrossed in another world. She was just aware enough to notice a presence lingering behind her.

Yuna turned into a nearby alleyway. The presence followed. Even then Yuna didn't lower her book until she heard a familiar feminine voice.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here."

No, no this was NOT happening. She prayed that her ears were playing tricks on her and it was in fact Sarada or some other female friend standing across from her, but even as she slowly lowered the book from in front of her face and turned, she knew exactly what she would find.

The purple eyed girl stood across from her, arms crossed, and a cruel smirk on her lips.

"Look at you," she scoffed, "Your nose is always in a fucking book. Whatcha reading? Some sappy romance?"

"Maybe," Yuna ground out, reading the same sentence for the fifteenth time as Mika continued to break her concentration over and over.

Mika ripped the book from her hands and flipped through the pages with wide, scanning eyes.

"This is dirty porn," she exclaimed, a mischievous grin forming on her lips. "Is that it Yuna? Do you like books better than the real thing?"

"It's not porn," she answered shortly, giving her only a minimal answer to appease her since she knew ignoring her wouldn't make her go away.

"You sure about that?" the woman cackled. "I think that the books are all the action you're getting and that's why you read them so much. You're beyond deprived!"

Yuna's brow furrowed in anger. How the hell had she come up with a hypothesis like that? She had no right to go sticking her nose in her business anyways.

"You can totally tell just by looking at you. You depend on those books like the air you breathe. It's like you've never experienced the real thing for yourself, or you've experienced far too little to be satisfied. Maybe that's how you get a sexual fix just so you can function."

Yuna straightened, regarding her with angry eyes. "My sexual prowess is none of your business."

"Hah!" Mika laughed, pointing a finger at her. "That just proves it! That's obviously code for 'I'm terrible in bed so I'd rather not talk about it.' Isn't it Yuna? You're a pathetic piece of Hoga trash."

Yuna tried not to bristle at her offensive tone. Getting angry with her would go nowhere, but her patience was wearing thin.

"Alright, Mika. You've had your fun. Can you please give me back my book and I'll be on my way."

A smile twisted up the side of her face. "You mean this book?" She grabbed a handful of paper in the middle of the book and twisted. The pages ripped out.

"What are you doing!? Stop it!"

Yuna lunged for her as she tore more pages free. But as she did, Mika landed a kick to her midsection, throwing her back against the wall behind her.

"Whoops," she quipped, without a trace of regret.

Yuna got to her knees. Not out of defeat, but because in that moment she couldn't have held herself up for the world.

"That book was a gift from Ataru."

Mika placed a foot on Yuna's chest and pushed her back against the wall.

"You see, I really don't care," she said. "You're such an eyesore. Your very existence is a nuisance." She pressed her foot down harder on Yuna's chest. "Come on, beg me to stop! Just say, "I understand, so please stop, Katayama-san.""

"...you…"

"Louder. I can't hear you!"

Yuna's hands fisted into balls. No, she wasn't supposed to.

Suddenly, Ataru jumped down from the rooftops beside them, grabbed Mika roughly by the wrist and pulled her around until her back hit the wall, instantly pressing in to close the space between them.

The older man looked down and was pleased to find Mika's eyes wide with surprise.

"A-Ataru?" Mika stammered uncertainly, some of her confidence draining away at the sight of his presence.

"Shut up and listen to me." He said harshly. "I think we've been quite tolerant of your silly little games and insults, but you coming down here and harassing Yuna is where I draw the line. If you have any sense of self-preservation at all, you will leave her alone."

Mika laughed lightly, as if the whole situation was rather amusing.

"Is Ataru playing big brother?" she sneered. "That's precious."

Her voice had taken on a sing song quality, making light of a very serious situation and Yuna found it absolutely infuriating.

"If you ask me, she had it coming," she continued loftily. "She wouldn't be in this situation if her father hadn't fucked that Hoga wh-"

The sentence was never finished because she was interrupted by Yuna's hand striking her in a forceful slap across her cheek, the sound seeming thunderous in the empty alleyway,

Mika gasped, bringing a hand to her stinging skin, eye wide with disbelief before it narrowed into an angry slit.

"You bitch!" she hissed hatefully. "What if this bruises?"

The kunoichi was glad she hadn't been so reckless as to put her full strength into that slap. Even though the arrogant woman had made her see red, she had enough sense not to hit her hard enough to fracture those high cheekbones the diva seemed to value so much.

"Consider yourself fortunate that I didn't take your other eye." Yuna seethed quietly, still enraged over how she had talked about her mother. "I don't care whether or not you leave me alone. But if I  _ever_  hear you talk ill of my mother again, I'll make it to where you can never look in a mirror again."

The two women glared at each other hatefully, Mika still pressing a hand to her injured cheek.

"I won't forget this," she spat viciously.

"You'd be an idiot if you did," Yuna replied with equal rage. She knew full well she had just made life with her clan harder for herself, because Mika would no doubt go out of her way to make every day miserable from this point on. Well if she wanted to fight, she had better bring it on with everything she had because the little diva had just picked a fight with one of Konoha's most powerful kunoichi.

Yuna waited for her cousin to retaliate but, to her surprise, the woman turned and stomped away, no longer quite as elegant and graceful in her low-heeled boots. Yuna let out the breath she had been holding and slumped a little.

She turned to go back and retrieve the ragged remains of her book, her heart feeling a little heavier now that all her worries about her destroyed gift had returned, although surprisingly, there was a slight spring in her step.

She wondered if she was a bad person for getting so much pleasure out of slapping Mika upside the head.

"I had it under control you know," she muttered. "You didn't need to interfere."

"Yeah, I could see you were right on top of things."

"I wasn't finished. Even though you did...it made me really happy." With a glance over her shoulder, she grinned at her brother. "It reminded me of the day you threw yourself in front of Mika to save me."

He watched her kneel down and pick up the papers. He moved to help.

"You remember that, huh?"

"How could I ever forget, baka?" She whispered. "It was the day we took you in. The day we became a family."

She ran her hand over the damaged book cover.

"I'll buy you another one. Okay?"

Yuna lowered her gaze. "There's only one."

"There were lots of them back at the store."

She shook her head. "It's the one you chose and bought for me."

"Yuna-"

"Where have you been?" Her voice was hoarse from unbidden, unshed tears- _Jeez, I'm not going to cry._ "I hardly see you anymore now that you've moved out. I feel like you're avoiding me."

"I'm not avoiding you, Yuna. I've been busy."

"That's bullshit. We still haven't even talked about what went down that night. Ataru...you hurt me."

His jaw tightened and several empty seconds passed.

"I'll admit that night was difficult for me. All I could feel was your anger, because I felt like you hated me, and that you wanted to hurt me. Maybe it made you feel better—"

"It didn't, trust me." A grimace pinched his features.

"Then why? You left me there like it meant nothing to you. You even went as far as disowning me as your sister. Why are you doing this? Talk to me," she whispered.

He sighed. "About what?"

"You know. You keep me in the dark. What's really going on with you? Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"No, Yuna, I'm not in any trouble. Everything's fine."

"How can you say that!?" she shouted. "You moved out, you look half dead, and everything that was us is almost gone! Ataru, I love you! I'm sick of this. I want things to be right again. Can't you open up to me more?" Her voice wavered and despite herself, the tears finally came, welling up and spilling down her face.

He wanted to rush forward and take her in his arms and tell her everything would be all right. His chest tightened as he looked at her. He wanted so much to tell her how he felt, how much he loved her and needed her, but couldn't find the words.

"Yuna," he began. "Things...things are a little complicated right now. Please understand."

She looked up, his soft tone catching her off guard. But she didn't understand. "No, Ataru, that's not good enough. Why won't you talk to me? Is it that bad? Is it worth it, or us?"

"I can't talk about it yet. I…"

"Can't or won't?"

"Goddamnit, Yuna, enough!" he shouted, making her flinch.

Ataru closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened them, his expression had softened. He took a deep breath and lifted his hand and traced her cheek with his fingers.

"I promise I'll explain everything to you in time," he whispered darkly, cupping her chin and raising her head to that they gazed intently into each other's eyes.

Her breath hitched.  _There it is again. That feeling. Fear. Why? Why is he making me feel this way?_

Yuna turned her head away slightly and swallowed back tears.

"Yeah,"

 **~MINE TO TAKE~**  
  
Her father was in the kitchen, standing and making a sandwich in the kitchen as she entered the front door. He turned so that they were eye to eye.

"Hi," he said cautiously.

"Hi," she answered warily.

"You were supposed to be-"

"I know," she interrupted him. "I'm sorry-you can extend my punishment after they leave. I just had to get away, you know. To think."

She turned to head upstairs to her bedroom, but she stopped short when he called her back.

"Yuna, wait."

Slowly, she turned to face him.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

She paused. "Um, sure."

"Are you hungry?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I'm not hungry, thank you." He pursed his lips but said nothing. "I'm kinda tired. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I want to talk about yesterday. About what you said at the Hokage's office." he answered. "Sweetheart, I was angry about the diamond."

"I know," she said. "You made that pretty clear. It won't happen again. Can I go now?"

"I'm not through," he said, "I want you to understand that I would never, ever look at you the way they do."

When she spoke, her voice was subdued. "But you did…"

He shook his head. "No, Yuna. If anything what you saw was disappointment. Your mind played a trick on you; you saw what you wanted to see...what you feared to see."

She lowered her gaze.

"Baby, I love you and your mother more than anything. I've never cared about what my clan thought about the Hoga's. If anything, I'm disgusted at what they did." He continued. "I'd give my life in a heartbeat for you two if it ever came down to it."

Her lip trembled, but she took a deep cleansing breath and bring her rolling emotions under control.

"I know."

He enfolded her in his arms, hugging her hard. And it's all she could do not to burst into tears.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Yuna murmured, her voice raw. "Daddy, forgive me, please."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Boruto landed silently on a roofs edge in a crouch. Straight ahead, he could see a drab two story building crowded into a back alley that used had visited to pawn off the diamond she had created. A large neon sign huge over the door, flashing the words "Fast Cash" in neon orange. Over the door was a similar sign in green reading "Pawn Bonanza", obviously the name of the business.

As Boruto placed the mask over his face, he recalled his father's words.

_"This is a mission where no one can know that you're a Hidden Leaf shinobi," his father stated. "And failing this mission could disrupt the peace in the village. You intend on going even after knowing this fact?"_

_"Absolutely."_

_His father paused, closing his eyes for a brief second before regarding his son once again. "I understand," he said. "I leave it to you, Boruto."  
_

Activating his Jōgan from behind his animal mask, Boruto jumped off the tree and landed silently on the other side in the waning light. Slinking from shadow to shadow, appearing as intangible as the growing darkness, Boruto worked his way toward what he guessed to be the back of the pawn shop. A single security camera scanned the area but it moved so slow that it was almost comical, and Boruto dashed to the building easily when it was looking the other way.

In the lengthening shadows, he examined the building for a way in and found it almost immediately; a window on the second floor had been left carelessly cracked open. It was as if the pawnbroker had sent Boruto an invitation to enter his business. With a little chakra directed to the soles of his feet, the shinobi effortlessly ran up the wall, pausing only momentarily to slide the window the rest of the way open before slipping inside.

His feet touched down on wood flooring, but he was tense and alert, preparing himself for whatever might come his way.

But even as his well-honed skills demanded he give full attention to his surroundings, an image of a woman, black haired and beautiful, kept popping up in his mind. He longed to see her again, to see her smiling face and hear her witty remarks. While he had been on many missions, some far more dangerous than this, he couldn't help the tiny voice in the back of his mind that warned this might be the mission he didn't return from, that he would never lay eyes on Yuna again. He angrily pushed the thought away. Now was not the time to fret over such things. If he didn't focus, something would turn up and ensure that these uneasy feelings became reality.

Trusting in the solidity of the floor, he stepped out into the hall. No boards sounded a complaint under his weight. Still, he stepped slowly, letting the weight of each of his steps come down gently on the bare wood.

The guest quarters were off the shorter arm of the L-shaped upstairs hall. To his right were the back stairs, which led down to God knows where. To his left lay the turn into the longer arm of the L.

Boruto ruled out the back stairs. They were wooden and worn. They would creak and pop. The stairwell would act as an amplifier, as hollow and efficient as a steel drum. With the building so preternaturally silent, it would be impossible to creep down the back stairs undetected.

The second-floor hall and the front stairs, on the other hand, were plushy carpeted.

From around the corner, somewhere along the main hallway, came a soft amber glow. In the wallpaper, the delicate pattern of faded roses appeared to absorb the light rather than reflect it, acquiring an enigmatic depth that it had not previously possessed.

If any occupants had been standing anywhere between the junction of the hallways and the source of the light, they would have cast a distorted shadow across that luminous paper garden or on the wheat-gold carpet. There was no shadow.

Keeping his back close to the wall, Boruto edged to the corner, hesitated, and leaned out to scout the way ahead. The main hallway was deserted.

Two sources of faint amber light relieved the gloom. The first came from a half-open door on the right. The second was much farther down the hallway, past the front stairs, on the left.

Then Boruto heard it. He barely heard it. A voice coming from the half-open down to his right.

He quickly and silently crossed the hallway. At the half-opened door, he paused to listen.

"I guess you and your friend really are as dumb as you look if you're trying to pick a fight with me."

"I'd say you're the dumb one, considering you're outnumbered."

"Is that so,"

Suddenly, the air was filled with a sort of thrumming tension. It started out weak and then grew stronger, a steady pulse that pushed against the skin and made the air feel heavy.

"Hey, what the hell?" one of the men said, clearly not understanding the force originating from the man they had thoroughly pissed off, but Boruto recognized it immediately. It was chakra, extremely strong chakra.

Boruto peeped through the half open door, and saw two men opposite of where he stood, confronting a man with his back turned to him.

He was a big man. Six feet two, maybe even taller. Muscular. Narrow waist, enormous shoulders. His dark blue-grey robe stretched tautly across his broad back.

His hair was thick and brown, neatly barbered against the nape of his bull neck, but Boruto could not see his face due to the white kitsune mask covering his face.

His seining fingers, looked crushingly strong. He would be able to choke the life out of them with a single-hand grip.

"You still wanna fight or are you going to hand that diamond over nice and easy?" the masked man said, taking a step forward towards the man who had threatened him.

The man shrank back but didn't answer and the chakra around them increased, pounding in waves, the energy so strong that the air practically crackled with it.

This man was undoubtedly a shinobi and a strong one at that, so strong that Boruto guessed he would have trouble going up against him in a fight. He could easily make ANBU with power like that, but he wore no symbol of any ninja village. Just who was this man?

"Hey, what's your problem, you freak?" one of the guys said angrily, his eyes wide and voice tinged with fear as he realized he had no chance of winning a fight against this man.

"Just hand over the diamond already," his friend said, his voice high with panic.

Apparently, he valued his life more than his pride, because he pulled the diamond out of his right pocket and threw it at that shinobi's feet before edging towards the door and breaking into a full run along with his friend.

The movement came closer to the door Boruto took a step back from the door, readying himself for the encounter. However, the two men didn't get far for as the masked man grabbed the two by their jacket collars and slammed them face up against the wall.

"Stop struggling,"

The visitor was doing something so bizarre that Boruto was transfixed by his activity. At his command, their arms went limp, dropping to their sides.

"Shinobi from the Katayama clan will be arriving here tomorrow morning in regards to a diamond a young woman pawned off here months ago. When they question you two about it, you will have no recollection of a diamond ever being brought in. If they present a picture of the woman who pawned off said diamond, you will tell them, "I've never seen this woman before in my life." Do you understand?"

"Yes," they said in unison, but when they spoke, their voice was even, calm and strangely monotonous.

"Good," he said. "When you wake up, you will no longer be under my control. You will remember nothing of our encounter. Do you understand?"

"Yes,"

After a moment, he removed his hand from his targets, who fell to the ground unconscious.

Boruto watched in silence as the man stooped to pick up the diamond, the overwhelming chakra in the air dissipating.

"I know you're there, and you know you're there, so why don't you come out and show yourself?" he said, his anger seeming to have evaporated along with his pulsating energy.

_Shit._

Boruto frowned behind his mask and sidled between the half-open door and the jamb, coming face to face with the masked man.

The man's posture seemed to relax as he tucked the diamond into his cloak pocket, apparently not finding Boruto a threat. The Jōgan user knew that he would have no better chance than this to question the man, especially since he didn't appear hostile at the moment, although that would probably change very soon.

"I have a few questions I'd like to ask you," he said quietly, taking a step closer to the mysterious man.

"Sorry," he chuckled. "But I can't help you play detective."

"And I can't let you leave here with that diamond."

The mysterious man tilted his head to one side, regarding him as if he was an exhibit in a freak show. Jeez, I'm not the freak here.

"Feel free to stop me. That is... if you can."

In the blink of an eye, the masked man made a single hand sign and in an instant he forced the wall behind him to explode.

Boruto landed on the street in front of the pawn shop and skidded to a stop. When the dust cleared, there want to sign of his opponent. He had taken off into the forest.

He began to follow him as fast as his limbs would carry him, bounding into the trees and leaping from branch to branch. He had to get that diamond back, he had too!

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

The mysterious man took a quick glance over his shoulder, noting he'd lost the other masked individual.

He chuckled lightly before feeling a presence above him. He glanced up to see his opponent come barreling down from the treetops, delivering a powerful kick right across his midsection that sent him flying down towards the forest floor below; leaving a large indent. When the dust settled, he was lying on his back, motionless.

Katana in hand, Boruto jumped down from the tree tops and landed in a silent crouch on the forest floor before cautiously making his way toward the unknown individual.

He stooped down and reached for the mask. However, when his fingers slipped under the material of his mask, purple smoke flooded out, halting his actions.

Shit. Poison!

His knees buckled under him. He fell to the floor, a hand on the ground, the other on the handle of the katana.

He was overtaken by coughing; he couldn't breathe anymore. He dropped the katana and clawed at his throat.

"You were careless," the voice chuckled behind him. "Breathing in even the smallest amount is fatal."

As the masked man turned to leave, an audible pop sounded as his solid form disappeared. He had tricked him and he cursed himself for not seeing through it.

"It's time to see who you really are!" he was startled to hear a male voice behind him say. He wheeled around to see his opponent appearing beside him and hit him directly in the face with a spinning ball of chakra with his hand, shattering his mask and sending him flying back into the trees.

After a moment, the man staggered to his feet, his hand covering his face. "There are only two people I know that come to mind who use that jutsu. But if I had to guess, I'd say it was you…" He dropped his left hand from his face. "Boruto Uzumaki."

Boruto's eyes widened at the familiar face in front of him.

_Ataru!_

Boruto frowned as he discarded his mask, no longer concerned with concealing his identity.

"Why are you here?" The blonde shinobi said sternly.

The man only smirked knowingly.

"Why, the same reason as you I imagine. Can't have that tedious clan causing any more problems over a mere diamond. So I nipped it in the bud before they even had a chance to question those buffoons back at the pawn shop."

"What exactly did you do to them back there?"

"The same thing I was going to do to you, but I have something else planned for you in mind." He shrugged, as if it were nothing.

"Fucking try it," Boruto growled, his hand clutched on the handle of his blade. "I'm guessing what you did to them was what you did to Yuna, isn't it?"

"I guess there's no harm in telling you since you're going to die anyway," he said. "Yes. I did the exact same thing to Yuna as I did to them."

"So you have a kekkei genkai?"

"Yes," he answered simply. "My clan specializes in mind related techniques, similar to the Yamanaka Clan, but more advanced."

"How so?"

Ataru smirked. "Why, the ability to sap people's wills, allowing us to command people by simple verbal suggestion. Our power originates in our skin cells. The sites of pheromone production and other secretions in our deep dermis produce numerous psychoactive chemicals, which, when inhaled or absorbed through the skin, induce in that individual an overwhelming monomania that renders him or her completely without self. We can simultaneously subjugate as many people as are present within the range of the psychoactive chemicals we exude."

"And the memory loss?"

"You are quite an impatient man Uzumaki, hardly befitting of a famous ninja,"

Boruto's eyes narrowed and the brown eyes man grinned.

"Alright, I'll tell you," he said, leaning in as if he were about to divulge a big secret. "We can manipulate the memories of individuals. We can erase, restore, or even implant false memories into a person's mind. Yuna however, was subjected to both."

Boruto stiffened at the mention of Yuna but said nothing.

"Mm," Ataru said, grin spreading wider. "She tasted so sweet. I can't wait to-"

His sentence was cut off with the clang of metal as blades clashed. Boruto had rushed forward, intending to lodge the weapon in his jugular.

Ataru seemed amused, clucking his tongue at him.

"Temper, temper. Don't go getting all pissy on me."

Metal ground against metal as Boruto rasped out, "You're going to keep your filthy hands off of her."

The man laughed again, warm and carefree, his gleaming brown eyes staring into his opponents mismatched orbs. They were dangerous and a little wild but held a sharp sort of intelligence in them, a deadly combination.

They broke apart, poised to strike again.

Ataru rushed forward.

Boruto dove to the side, feeling cold steel slice his arm. The wound was small and a thin trickle of blood seeped from the cut, but if he hadn't moved, it would have been fatal. He turned to find Ataru smirking in triumph.

Boruto growled before rushing forward but suddenly had to brace himself near the nearest tree when he felt lightheaded and dizzy. His wound began to burn and he realized that the kunai that cut him must have been poisoned.

"Like I said last time, "All I need is one good hit.""

"You sonofabitch,"

"This was nice," Ataru said. "You being here, us talking. Unfortunately, I must make haste. I don't like to be away from her too long. The two of us have a lot of catching up to do."

His strength rapidly dwindling, Boruto staggered a few steps and dropped to his knees. "Don't!" he grunted, his expression simultaneously surly and fearful.

After a beat, Ataru stepped back. In that instant, Ataru lifted his foot and kicked Boruto hard in the face, landing him on his back.

He straightened and placed his kunai between his teeth, freeing up his hands to make the signs for a teleportation jutsu and in the blink of an eye, he was gone, with just a puff of smoke marking where he had stood.

Boruto's body was going numb and his vision dark. He wondered if his body would ever see light again. He managed to mumble a few words before darkness overtook him completely, apologizing to the one he had hoped to see at least one more time.

"I'm sorry, Yuna."  
 **  
~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna's back was to the window as she lay in bed, and just when she was about to give up on sleep, and get out of bed to go to the kitchen for a calming cup of tea, she heard it-her window carefully and quietly being opened. Unfortunately, because of her position, she was unable to reach out with her own chakra of the person that had entered her room, in fear of altering them that she was awake.

She remained calm and quiet, not giving away the fact that she was awake in hopes of catching the intruder by surprise. Thankfully, her hand was already under her pillow near the kunai she had placed there, so all she had to do was grasp it and slash around to strike.

Paranoid-that's what she had become in the past couple of days since her father's clan came into town. In fact, she had lost sleep in just the couple of days since then, and tonight had been turning out to be the same, but now her loss of sleep and her added wariness were now well justified.

She would have summoned Tama or the others and asked them to keep watch for her a while as she tried to get some sleep, but it wasn't fair to ask them, or even make them add another thing to their list of jobs to perform.

Despite having those obnoxious thoughts running through her mind, she was still able to listen for her intruder who was now at her bedside. She could hear the person let out a small sigh, and she very slowly-without giving away any hint of movement-took hold of her kunai from beneath her pillow. She didn't sense any malicious intent, but continued to be at the ready, waiting for the movement when he or she would make their move. She could hear her heart pounding away in her ears in a steady growing panic, and she could feel a beat of sweat forming at her forehead.

A hand placed itself upon her head and she finally reacted, whipping out her kunai as she spun around to a sitting position to stab the intruder. She took in a sharp intake of breath when her arm was stopped, and her eyes met the person who had entered her room.

"A-Ataru..." She whispered in surprise.

The teen's stern face had quickly melted to that of a childish-apologetic one, and he released the shocked woman's arm, bringing his hand to rub the back of his head.

"I didn't mean to scare you, Yuna. Sorry…"

Yuna's face flushed red with many different emotions-anger, irritation, relief, joy, and many others. She lowered her kunai wielding hand with a small sigh and she growled quietly, "Idiot, what were you thinking?!" She quietly exclaimed. "I could have killed you just now!"

"That's why I was approaching carefully, but I didn't really think you'd wake up quite so suddenly."

"That's because I wasn't even asleep...I've been awake the entire time." Yuna maneuvered herself to be sitting at the edge of the bed, and she crossed her arms and legs in a casual manner.

Ataru moved off to the side a bit, to stop blocking the moonlight so he could see Yuna's face more clearly, and it was then that his face fell in concern. "Have...have you been getting any sleep at all?"

"I've been busy," she lied. "And I should be asking the questions here. Why are you here at such an hour anyway?"

Ataru froze a moment, being reminded of the reason why he found himself before the woman, who was now raising an eyebrow in a mixed expression of curiosity and suspicion.

"Right...I'm…" He glanced off to the side and rummaged through his pockets. "I'm here for this." He held out a small diamond.

She gasped.

"I can't believe it," She lifted her gaze to his. "You got it back? Was this why you were secretive earlier?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Sorry, if I had told you, you would've stopped me."

Tears spring to her eyes. His face softened as he gazed at her.

"Don't cry," he murmured, his thumb catching and dispatching a stray tear.

"I'm sorry." Yuna swallowed over the knot in her throat. "I didn't mean to cause you any trouble."

"Hey," Ataru said gently as he pulled her into his arms, "please don't cry, Yuna, please," he begged. She put her arms around him and wept into his neck. Cooing softly into her hair, he gently stroked her back, her head.

"Everything will alright now, Yuna," he whispered, and that made her cry harder and hug him tighter.

They sat like this forever. Eventually, when she was all cried out, Ataru pushed her down in the bed. In a few seconds he was beside her. He pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly, and she finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

 **A/N:** This chapter was supposed to go a totally different route. But I'm surprisingly satisfied with where it went. I'm eager to write this next chapter. It's gonna be crazy, so be ready.


	24. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

**A/N:** Woo-hoo! We've hit over 300 followers for this story! Well, on QuoteV anyway. :P Anyhoo, as promised I will be holding a contest on QuoteV. So my Wattpad/FanFiction/Archiveofourown followers, you're also included. So no worries. :P As Kozi stated on Wattpad, a contest for "fan of this story" an original character or something. Which was an amazing suggestion, so thank you. :) That will be my second contest once I hit the 350-400 follower mark on QuoteV. It can be an original character drawing or character in my story. The girl I go through right now is taking a small break from commissions so I need to message her. As for now, the first contest details will be listed in my QuoteV page under the activity this weekend. :) So keep an eye out if you want to enter.

Thanks for all the love and support. You all are amazing. Please keep it coming!

 **Attention:**  This chapter is darker than the rest of the story and I am aware many of you will not like it and that I might even lose some readers over it. There is attempted rape in this chapter. You have been warned so I don't want to hear complaints about unexpectedly harsh subject matter. Not all stories can be fluffy and nice.

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

Yuna awoke with a jolt. Her head was fuzzy and she was too warm. Ataru was wrapped around her like a vine. He grumbled in his sleep as she slipped out of his arms, but he didn't wake. Sitting up, she glanced at the alarm clock. It was seven in the morning. She needed an Advil and a drink. She swung her legs out of bed and made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

In the fridge she found a carton of orange juice and poured herself a glass. Mmm...it's delicious, and her fuzzy head eased immediately. She hunted through the cupboards looking for some painkillers and eventually came across a plastic box full of meds. She took two Advil and poured herself another orange juice.

The front door opened and her father appeared. She assumed he went to see his family off before they left back to the Land of Bellows.

"Did you send them on their way?"

He nodded silently.

"Good riddance," Yuna muttered.

"Yuna, we need to talk."

"Everything all right?"

Her father shook his head.

"What happened?" Yuna frowned, now utterly confused.

Her father hesitated before he finally cleared his throat. "I know you're aware of the mission that Boruto was assigned to yesterday. There was a situation, sweetheart."

"Is Boruto okay?" she demanded. "That's all I want to know."

Yuna felt every muscle in her body tense, bracing for what she already knew was coming. These words, like so many in the past few days, seemed impossible to comprehend.

"It…he apparently came in contact with an enemy shinobi. He was poisoned. He was still alive when they found him and brought him back to Konoha. Sakura and your mother are working on him right now."

Even as her father spoke, Yuna could feel her grip loosening on her glass of orange juice. It fell heavily to the ground, shattering it into pieces. She stared at it, lying in the kitchen floor.

Boruto. Not Boruto. He couldn't die.

Yuna turned and rushed upstairs to her room and threw open her closet door, waking Ataru in the process. He sat up, blinking owlishly at her.

"What's going on?"

"It's Boruto. He's hurt."

"What?" he said, suddenly awake and surprised by the news. Boruto was alive? But how? There was no way he could have survived after being exposed to that poison...unless someone happened to come across him. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

"Don't go over there," Ataru said as she put on a light sweater. She tried to leave her room, but he got up from the bed and blocked her path. "Maybe its best if you let the doctor's work on him before going over there."

Yuna narrowed her eyes at Ataru. She knew he didn't want her to go to Boruto because he didn't like him. He could care less about Boruto's condition.

"Move aside," she said as she maneuvered Ataru out of her way.

She heard a groan from behind her, which made her turn around. Ataru looked absolutely furious. She had seen him angry before, but it was extremely rare that he would look at her that way.

"Why do you always do this," he growled.

"Do what?" Her brow furrowed.

"Run to him." Yuna's mouth dropped open slightly, but she recovered quickly.

"He's my boyfriend, Ataru." She turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm before she could get more than a foot away. She tried pulling her arm from his grip, but he held her tight. "Let go." Her tone was full of warning.

"No. You're staying."

She turned to face him. She was so mad at him, her anger was palpable-a dark entity threatening to choke her.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do," her tone was harsher. She didn't want her father to know they were fighting again, but she wanted Ataru to know that he couldn't just boss her around. "I do what I want, when I want."

"What you want always seems to take you away from me."

Yuna rolled her eyes at him.

"Bullshit, Ataru. I am always with you."

Hearing the commotion in her bedroom, their father stepped into the room and moved in between them and pulled them apart, thankfully releasing her from Ataru's grasp. "Come on, you two, let's not fight."

"Boruto is a big boy. He can take care of himself," Ataru said, completely ignoring their father's request.

"Stop being selfish. If you were in his place I would go to you too."

"The only difference is I'm not stupid enough to fall victim to an enemy's attack," he shot back. "Shinobi die on missions all the time. It's inevitable."

Yuna stepped back as if she'd been struck and gaped at him in outraged disbelief.

"You really are an asshole, you know that?"

Shaking her head, Yuna turned on her heel to leave but Ataru once again reached out for her, gripping her arm hard enough to bruise. Yuna whipped around, breaking out of his grasp and delivering a chakra infused punch. It would have hit him directly in the face and crushed teeth and bone if Ataru hadn't been quick and blocked with crossed forearms in front of his face. As it was, he could feel the pain of the impact reverberate through his bones, possibly fracturing the ulna in the arm that had taking the majority of the blow.

"Get your head out of your ass," she hissed angrily before stalking away, rounding the corner and disappearing from sight.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna stared at the flames, mesmerized. They dance and weave bright blazing orange with tips of cobalt blue in the fireplace in the hospital waiting room. And despite the heat pumping out of the fire, she's cold. Bone-chillingly cold.

She's aware of hushed voices, many hushed voices. But they're in the background, a distant buzz. She didn't hear the words. All she could hear, all she can focus on, is the soft hiss of the gas from the fire.

The flames shimmy and flicker, holding her captive, keeping her numb. She focused solely on their flaring, scorching beauty. They are bewitching.

She wrapped her arms around herself, and the world fell away from her and reality bled into her consciousness. The creeping emptiness inside expanded some more. Boruto was hurt.

"Yuna. Here," Ryōgi gently coaxed her, his voice bringing her back into the room, into the now, into the anguish. He gave her a cup of tea. She took the cup gratefully, the hot liquid sloshing around betraying her shaking hands.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice hoarse from unshed tears and the large lump in her throat.

Himawari sat across from her on the larger-than-large U-shaped couch, holding hands with Hinata. They gaze at her, pain and anxiety etched on their lovely faces. Hinata looked older—a mother worried for her son. She blinked dispassionately at them. She couldn't offer a reassuring smile, a tear even—there's nothing, just blankness and the growing emptiness. She gazed at Shikadai, Inojin, and Mitsuki, who stand in the corner of the room, all serious faces, talking quietly. Discussing something in soft subdued voices.

Sarada was monitoring the local news. She heard the faint squawk from the big plasma TV. She couldn't bear to see the news item again—BORUTO UZUMAKI IN CRITICAL CONDITION—his beautiful face on TV.

Shikamaru and Naruto are talking to the authorities who are drip-feeding them information. Their body posture and nervous glances gave every indication that whatever they were talking about wasn't meant to be overheard, but even their muddled whispers were easily deciphered by Yuna's keen sense of hearing thanks to her years of training as a shinobi.

"—the pawn shop. There was no trace of the diamond nor on the young lord when they found him."

Yuna instantly snapped out of her internal thoughts, focusing completely on the conversation she was overhearing.

"But there's something else we need to report."

"We searched the pawnbroker's logs to see if the diamond was added into their inventory. And as the Katayama clan had stated, there was one. However, when we interrogated the owner of the shop about it, he had no recollection of the diamond ever being pawned off nor of the girl who sold it."

Yuna's eyes widened. No, that couldn't be right. It couldn't be  _him_. He had a hand in this?

Her first instinct was to deliver a punch powerful enough to crush his skull and kill the bastard right when she found him. However, she couldn't make herself summon the energy. She felt hollow, empty, sick inside.

She didn't know what to do. Her hopeful heart reminded her that there was still a slim chance that there was an explanation for all of this, that things weren't what they looked like. She wanted to confront Ataru and hear from his mouth whether he had attempted to murder Boruto or whether this was all just a terrible mix up.

She offered another silent prayer to God.  _Please let Boruto be okay. Please let Boruto be okay._ She repeated it over and over in her head—her mantra, her lifeline, something concrete to cling to in her desperation. She refused to think the worst. No, don't go there. There is hope.

" _How'd I get so lucky finding you?"_

Boruto's words come back to haunt her. Yes, there is always hope. She must not despair. His words echo through her mind.

" _This mission is going to be a piece of cake."_

She closed her eyes in silent prayer, rocking gently.  _Please let the rest of his life not be this short. Please, please._  We haven't had enough time…we need more time. We've done so much in the last few weeks, come so far. It can't end.

Oh, she loved him so. She will be nothing without him, nothing but a shadow—all the light eclipsed. Oh, please, let him be okay. He cannot die. He was the center of her universe.

An involuntary sob escaped her throat, and she clutched her hand to her mouth. No. She must be strong.

Shikadai was suddenly at her side, or had he been there a while? She had no idea.

"Do you want me to call your dad?" he asked gently.

No! She shook her head and clutched Shikadai's hand. She couldn't speak, she knew she would dissolve if she did, but the warmth and gentle squeeze of his hand offered her no solace.

Hinata raised to join the boys, distracting her. That must be the longest she's sat still. Himawari came to sit beside her, too, and grabbed her other hand.

"He's strong," she says, her voice initially determined but cracking on the last word. Her eyes are wide and red-rimmed, her face pale and pinched from lack of sleep.

She glanced at the clock. It's after eleven, heading toward noon. Damn time! With each passing hour, the clawing emptiness expands, consuming her, choking her. She knew deep down inside she was preparing herself for the worst. She closed her eyes and offered up another silent prayer, clasping both Himawari and Shikadai's hands.

Opening her eyes again, she stared into the flames once more. I can see his shy smile—her favorite of all his expressions, a glimpse of the real Boruto, her real Boruto. The lump in her throat expanded. She loved him. She would always love him. There would never be anyone else. Ever.

She gazed deeper into the fire, the flames still licking and curling around each other, blazing brightly. Then stepped out of the emergency room, and everything goes into slow motion.

"He's going to pull through."

Holy fuck…Boruto. He's alive. She gazed numbly at Sakura, trying to work out if she was misinterpreting or if he's really alive.

When Sakura broke the news to them, Hinata hugged her, clinging to her with desperate force.

"Thank you," she breathed. "Thank you." Over and over, she repeated the words.

Himawari squealed something unintelligible from beside Yuna, then she's up and runs to join her parents, hugging all of them, too.

Finally the tears start to cascade down her cheeks. He's alive, he's fine. But she couldn't move.

Sarada was standing beside her—and she gently stroked her hair.

"He's really alive, Yuna," she murmured comfortingly.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

At Naruto's urging, Hinata and Himawari finally went home. Sakura assured them that Boruto was no longer in harm's way and that more than likely he'll wake up the following day.

However, despite their exhaustion and hunger, Yuna, Sarada, Mitsuki, Shikadai, Inojin and Ryōgi decided to stay a while longer in case their comrade decided to come to.

"You should go home and get some rest too, Yuna," Shikadai said. "I'll call you if he wakes up. I promise."

Yuna refused to release Boruto's hand, raising her chin in stubborn defiance.

"I won't leave him."

After a few moments of silence, Yuna spoke again.

"Inojin. Your clan has the ability to read minds, right?"

He looked up from his drawing. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Would it be possible for you to probe into Boruto's memory?" Her voice was hesitant.

"What are you up to, Yuna?" Shikadai asked, curious, glancing at her.

"I overheard the Hokage talking with the police force out in the waiting area," she said. "Boruto was assigned a mission to retrieve the diamond I'd pawned off." She reached into her back pouch and pulled out the small diamond that Ataru had given her last night. "This diamond to be exact."

"Where did you get that?"

"Ataru. He came to my bedroom last night and gave it to me." She answered and turned to gaze down at Boruto. "Boruto was subjected to poison. The same poison that comes from a certain arthropod my team fought against a few months ago."

Ryōgi stepped forward. "C'mon Yuna, this is Ataru we're talking about; your brother and our comrade. Accusing him of attempted murder is crazy!" His voice is high, incredulous.

Yuna lowered her gaze to the floor. "Ryōgi...he's changed," she whispered. "He's not like how he was before we moved here to Konoha. I just...I have this feeling I can't shake off. Not only that, but Ataru's main tactic in battle involves incorporating poison into his attacks as well as imbues his kunai with poison. As much as I don't want to believe it, I need to know." She regarded Inojin once again. "Please?"

"Even if I wanted to, I'm still training under my mother with that technique. I don't know if I'll be able to."

"Inojin, please," she begged again.

Finally, he relented, letting out a heavy sigh and said, "Alright. I'll do it."

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

"Considering his injuries, it's dangerous to probe too deep." Inojin said. "I can only take a glimpse just before he lost consciousness. That's the limit."

Yuna nodded silently, and Inojin set to work, summoning chakra to his fingertips.

Gingerly, he touched the pads of his fingers to Boruto's temples and let his chakra slip beneath the surface of his skin and into the nerves and synapses that made up his brain. There, he began to probe Boruto's mind, rapidly going through his memories.

"...I found it…" Inojin said quietly. "I can see images from the incident."

_"There are only two people I know that come to mind who use that jutsu. But if I had to guess, I'd say it was you…" He dropped his left hand from his face. "Boruto Uzumaki."_

_Boruto's eyes widened at the familiar face in front of him._

_Ataru._

_"Why are you here?" The blonde shinobi said sternly._

_The man only smirked knowingly._

_"Why, the same reason as you I imagine. Can't have that tedious clan causing any more problems over a mere diamond. So I nipped it in the bud before they even had a chance to question those buffoons back at the pawn shop."_

_"What exactly did you do to them back there?"_

_"The same thing I was going to do to you, but I have something else planned for you in mind." He shrugged, as if it were nothing._

_"Fucking try it," Boruto growled, his hand clutched on the handle of his blade. "I'm guessing what you did to them was what you did to Yuna, isn't it?"_

_"I guess there's no harm in telling you since you're going to die anyway," he said. "Yes. I did the exact same thing to Yuna as I did to them."_

_"So you have a kekkei genkai?"_

_"Yes," he answered simply. "My clan specializes in mind related techniques, similar to the Yamanaka Clan, but more advanced."_

_"How so?"_

_Ataru smirked. "Why, the ability to sap people's wills, allowing us to command people by simple verbal suggestion. Our power originates in our skin cells. The sites of pheromone production and other secretions in our deep dermis produce numerous psychoactive chemicals, which, when inhaled or absorbed through the skin, induce in that individual an overwhelming monomania that renders him or her completely without self. We can simultaneously subjugate as many people as are present within the range of the psychoactive chemicals we exude."_

_"And the memory loss?"_

_"You are quite an impatient man Uzumaki, hardly befitting of a famous ninja,"_

_Boruto's eyes narrowed and the brown eyes man grinned._

_"Alright, I'll tell you," he said, leaning in as if he were about to divulge a big secret. "We can manipulate the memories of individuals. We can erase, restore, or even implant false memories into a person's mind. Yuna however, was subjected to both."_

_Boruto stiffened at the mention of Yuna but said nothing._

_"Mm," Ataru said, grin spreading wider. "She tasted so sweet. I can't wait to-"_

_His sentence was cut off with the clang of metal as blades clashed. Boruto had rushed forward, intending to lodge the weapon in his jugular._

_Ataru seemed amused, clucking his tongue at him._

_"Temper, temper. Don't go getting all pissy on me."_

_Metal ground against metal as Boruto rasped out, "You're going to keep your filthy hands off of her."_

_The man laughed again, warm and carefree, his gleaming brown eyes staring into his opponents mismatched orbs. They were dangerous and a little wild but held a sharp sort of intelligence in them, a deadly combination._

_They broke apart, poised to strike again._

_Ataru rushed forward._

_Boruto dove to the side, feeling cold steel slice his arm. The wound was small and a thin trickle of blood seeped from the cut. He turned to find Ataru smirking in triumph._

" _Like I said last time; all I need is one good hit."_

_"You sonofabitch,"_

_"This was nice," Ataru said. "You being here, us talking. Unfortunately, I must make haste. I don't like to be away from her too long. The two of us have a lot of catching up to do."_

_Boruto staggered a few steps and dropped to his knees. "Don't!"_

_After a beat, Ataru stepped back. In that instant, Ataru lifted his foot and kicked Boruto hard in the face, landing him on his back._

_Then darkness._

At the end of the memory, the glowing chakra at his fingertips faded away and Inojin's eyes flew open.

"Well? Yuna asked, with an anxious look at him.

She's right to be anxious. Her life was about to turn upside down.

"Yuna, I am so sorry."

"So it's true. Ataru was the one behind this…" Her voice faded to a whisper.

"Are you absolutely sure about that?" Shikadai asked Inojin.

"Yes," he said without hesitation. "Ataru was the one who poisoned Boruto."

"Yuna," Sarada murmured, her voice burning with sincerity.

"There's one other thing," Inojin said. "Ataru possesses the ability to control people's wills along with extracting and implanting memories."

"A kekkei genkai?" Ryōgi gasped, shocked.

"That probably explains why Yuna couldn't remember certain events a while back," Shikadai rubbed his chin in quiet deliberation.

"It also makes him a suspect behind the water plant incident." Mitsuki added.

Jaw clenched, Yuna turned on her heel and stalked toward the door.

"Oi," Shikadai called after her. "where are you going?"

"Where do you think? To talk to Ataru."

She was almost out the door before Shikadai stopped her with his Shadow Possession Jutsu.

"Let me go," she growled.

"You're rushing into a dangerous situation while you're frantic."

"So, you're saying I'm irrational?"

"Yeah!" He cried incredulously. "I totally get why you feel like rushing in. After all, Boruto's my friend. But we should be cool and rational, okay?"

Yuna pondered her next move. A part of her worried about the road she was going down, but things couldn't get more fucked up than they already were. Might as well go all the way down the rabbit hole.

After a moment, Yuna closed her eyes and sighed. "Alright."

Shikadai let out a relieved sigh, and as soon as he released his hold on her, Yuna whipped around and shoved him against the wall roughly, and cuffed his hand to the wall with her carbon, restraining him.

"Forgive me, Shika-kun. I just can't do that." She told him quietly before turning to regard the remaining shinobi in the room. "I'm sorry."

She turned and bolted for the door.

"Yuna!" he shouted in disbelief.

She paused. "Shikadai, you have a fair argument. But I just have to go and confront Ataru about this myself. Report the information to the Hokage. This ends today." And with that, she left the room as well as releasing her jutsu on Shikadai.

The kunoichi shut the door behind her. Not only had Ataru attempted to kill Boruto, but he had intended to lie about it. If it wasn't for his carelessness, she might have never known. She knew beneath her rage was infinite sadness that would require weeks of crying fits and a whole lot of chocolate to work through, so she held onto her anger, using it to suppress her rage as she stomped down the hallway.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Upon awakening, Boruto was aware of an extremely bright light shining uncomfortably into his face. He had heard stories from comrades who had had near death experiences and they sometimes described bright lights. He supposed he really was dead after all, and heaven, or wherever he was headed, was determined to blind him. Although...he found it strange that heaven smelled strangely of antiseptic.

A familiar face filled his vision, a woman calling his name with black hair. His surroundings snapped into focus and he discovered that he wasn't dead, but in a hospital room, and since Sarada was watching over him, he could only assume he was in Konoha.

His mind frantically tried to piece together how he had gotten here, but all he could remember was how he'd pitifully let down his guard and allowed himself to be cut with a poisoned blade. He thought for sure he would die deep within the mine, but somehow, fate had allowed him a chance to see a certain lovely kunoichi again.

"Thank goodness," she breathed an enormous sigh of relief.

"Sarada," he said, trying to sit up but finding his limbs still feeling numb and unresponsive.

"Lay down," she demanded, pushing him back down on the bed with a hand on his chest. "You shouldn't overexert yourself just when you've finally regained consciousness."

Her voice was stern but she couldn't hide her smile and Boruto replied with one of his own.

"How did I get here?" he whispered with parched lips. "I thought for sure I was going to die."

Sensing his thirst, Sarada stood to poor him a glass of water from a clear plastic pitcher by his bed.

"Kiba found you," she replied. "Or more accurately, Akemaru smelled you out. If it weren't for that dog's nose, you probably would have died. They brought you back to my mom just in time. If she had been any slower in making an antidote, you would have been a goner."

The Uchiha wrapped an arm around his shoulders and propped him up enough to allow him to drink. He finished his water and Yuna perched at the edge of his bed, eyeing him critically. Now that he was back home and not in immediate danger of dying, it was time to get down to business.

"We know about Ataru," she began. "We know he was the one who was behind you being poisoned. Shikadai and the others are reporting to Lord Seventh as we speak."

"What? How did you know?"

She paused. "Yuna had Inojin peek into your memories."

"Where is Yuna?"

"She went to see Ataru," she answered, her voice soft and hesitant.

"What?!" His voice was high, incredulous. "Why? Why would you let her go alone?"

"She was rather adamant," Sarada muttered, embarrassed.

"Shit," the Jōgan used growled as he struggled to sit up. His mind spun over what could go down in that span of time if she confronted Ataru.

She'd be in terrible danger.

"Boruto," Sarada warned. He struggled to sit up once more.

"I don't have time to lay around. I need to go. Yuna's in danger."

"Still," she cried "you're in no condition to leave let alone fight if it came down to it."

Boruto was about to open his mouth to speak, when the door slid open. Ryōgi entered the room, eyes wide.

"You're awake."

"Ryōgi, there's no time to explain. I need you to find Yuna and get her away from Ataru as quickly as possible."

"But-"

Ryōgi, go!"

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna burst through the door of Ataru and Ryōgi's apartment, destroying the lock that held it shut. Anger overcame her, overlaying a red film across her vision until everything appeared in shades of crimson. How dare he attempt to murder the man she loved.

Yuna crossed the threshold and slammed the elder Katayama against the wall. Her hand was around Ataru's throat before he could do as much as say her name.

"You fucking scum," the kunoichi seethed, teal eyes ablaze with black fire. "How could you?"

"What are you talking about?"

Yuna's hand tightened around Ataru's windpipe as her dark eyes narrowed.

"Don't fuck around with me," she growled. "I know you were the one behind poisoning Boruto. You even had the gall to show up in my bedroom and comfort me while my boyfriend was lying in some ditch dying."

Ataru's brown eyes widened, clearly shocked to have his carefully crafted plan flung back in his face.

"How did you know?"

"I had Inojin poke into Boruto's memory," she hissed. "I know all about what transpired between you two and that kekkei genkai of yours."

Ataru frowned and raised his hands to hers, but she instantly jumped back before they could make contact with her.

"Don't even think about it, Ataru," she whispered menacingly.

"If you really knew how my kekkei genkai worked, you'd know I can activate it without even touching you." He said softly, threateningly.

"Are you trying to frighten me?" she muttered, breathless, deliberately trying to derail him.

It worked. He stilled and swallowed. "That wasn't my intention." He frowned.

"How many? How many times have you used that ability on me?"

"More than I would've liked."

"How many?"

"Twice," he answered. "Once when you were in the hospital and the other when we fought over the letter Hiroki had given you."

She swallowed. "Boruto was telling the truth this entire time. How could you? You made it

seem like he was delusional." Ataru said nothing.

"Were you the one behind the water plant incident? Did you make that man poison all of those innocent people?" She asked to fill the sudden deafening chasm of silence.

More silence.

"Answer me, dammit!"

Eventually, he sighed.

"Yes."

She shook her head in disbelief. "I don't know you anymore." she whispered. And searing pain lanced through her, tears springing to her eyes. "Ataru, you're breaking my heart. You are going down a path I can't follow."

"Because of Boruto?"

"Because of what you've done. Stop, stop now. Turn yourself in." She fought back tears.

"You know I can't do that," he said.

Tears rolled down her face. "What are you saying?"

He closed the distance between them and took her hands, squeezing them, and she wanted to pull away from him, but she was paralyzed. She couldn't move and stood stiffly, not yielding at all.

"Let's leave this place, just the two of us. We can go anywhere you want." he breathed softly, his voice achingly sad. Her heart clenched anew and released a fresh wave of silent sobbing. He continued to hold her hands tenderly, but she remained aloof and wary.

They stood together like this, neither saying anything for ages. He just held her hands, and very gradually, she relaxed and stopped crying.

"Ataru," she managed finally, breathlessly. "You know we can't do that. We belong here."

"No, we don't."

"Yes we do. We're Konoha shinobi. This is our home. And besides, what about mom and dad? What about my friends?"

"We don't need anyone else, just us."

She closed her eyes. She couldn't bear to look at him.

"Look at me," he said, taking her head in his hands and holding her gaze to his. "I love you. You're all I think about. Dream about. You're in my gut, in my throat. I'm drowning in you, Yuna, I'm drowning in you."

Yuna was silent for a long time. This had gone way beyond pain and retribution. It was down to the truth now, once and for all.

"I can't love you." She said, softly, honestly.

"I'm not asking you to love me. I'm asking for you to give us a chance. You have no idea what we could be because you won't even let us start."

"Where do you even get 'us' from? There is no 'us', Ataru. We're siblings. That's all we'll ever be."

His jaw fell. "Why do you keep lying to yourself?"

"I'm not saying I don't have feelings for you. I do. But it's not love. I could never trust you enough for it to become that."

He bridged the distance between them. He had one hand at the small of her back holding her against him, the other at her chin tipping back her head.

"I know you feel like I do." He clenched his teeth as he uttered the words, as if they burned him. "You don't have to hide it anymore."

"No, Ataru, stop—no." She pushed him, but his hand has slipped into her hair, holding her head in place.

"Let yourself feel it..." he whispered against her lips. His breath was soft and smelled too sweet—of sake. He gently trailed kisses along her jaw up to the side of her mouth.

"I said stop!" She hissed before raking her nails down his neck, leaving bloody scratches in her wake. Ataru hissed in pain and retaliated by punching her in the gut. Yuna clutched her abdomen and collapsed to the floor, the wind knocked from her.

As she struggled to pull in a breath, a hand shot out and grabbed a fistful of her hair, hauling her up so he was nose to nose with her.

His brown eyes bored into hers and he seemed to be studying her intently.

"Why do you reject me? I've always loved you, and I never once betrayed you. Do you - do you think this has been easy for me? Do you have any idea how hard this has been? The sacrifices, the decisions I've had to make? I wanted something - anything to make this feeling stop. I just wanted it to stop!"

"Let me go," she hissed, trying to push away from him and escape his grasp.

"You didn't let me finish."

"What more is there to say? You tried to kill Boruto and poisoned hundreds of innocent villagers. You want me to congratulate you? You're deranged if you think for a minute-"

Without releasing his grip on her hair, Ataru jerked her towards him and flipping their bodies so she was beneath him, pinned to the ground with one of his hands holding her wrists above her head.

"Get off me, you idiot!" Yuna screeched, struggling to throw him off of her.

"You love me…" he hissed angrily as he continued to hold her thrashing body down.

"You fucking disgust me you piece of shit!"

He stared down at her face, lovely even as she hurled insults and profanities at him. He dipped his head and captured those snarling lips in a kiss, instantly shocking her into stunned silence. Her whole body went rigid as she felt his lips press to hers firmly. When his tongue swiped over her lower lip, followed by teeth nipping at the tender skin, she couldn't help a gasp, parting her lips and giving him the opportunity he needed to push his tongue into her mouth. The sound of her surprised gasp drove him on. He wanted to hear more sounds like it, wanted to hear her moan.

"Let it go... Let yourself love me…" he whispered between kisses.

He plundered her mouth until her lungs were screaming. The shock had worn off and Yuna wasn't about to sit by idly while this happened. She began to struggle again, trying to push him off, but his position on top of her gave him more leverage and she couldn't seem to break free.

"Stop it...stop…"

He could feel her fighting beneath him, and for some reason, it turned him on. A primal instinct thrived on holding her down and claiming her mouth as she thrashed about beneath him. He growled against her lips, a dark and animalistic sound, and felt himself beginning to grow hard. Their current position had his groin centered in the cradle of her hips, and without stopping to think about what he was doing, he began to grind into the soft spot between her legs, growling again at the wonderful friction it produced.

"I know you'll feel it...Once I'm inside you…"

"Don't…"

"You're going to let me inside you," he growled, his words sounding more like a threat than anything else as the hand not holding her down traveled down her stomach to the waistband of her shorts.

Somehow she turned and managed to drive her knee into his groin. She heard him gasp and felt his grip loosen momentarily. Unfortunately, she hadn't even gotten to her feet before he was back on her, threading his fingers in her hair and slamming her head down twice against the hardwood floor rendering her unconscious.

Yuna was a strong and dangerous woman, but in this moment he had power over her. Ataru had never been one to crave control, but he was quickly becoming drunk on the power and lust that came with subduing the diamond kunoichi.

Reaching down to the waistband of her shorts, he tugged them over her hips until they were halfway down her legs, leaving her in simple black bikini cut panties.

Her body was limp and lifeless and easy to maneuver as he flipped her over onto her hands and knees, her hands hardly supporting her weight as she slumped forward to rest her forehead against the cold floor.

Ataru was behind her in an instant, jerking her underwear down over her hips to join the shorts that were still bunched around her knees. The garments kept her legs pressed together but it wasn't enough to hide the captivating view of her womanhood, pink and perfect. Her ass was firm and round, the same beautiful beige as the rest of her skin and he couldn't resist letting his hands smooth over the twin globes. Her skin was warm and smooth, her ass oh so squeezable, and Ataru couldn't wait another moment to slip between those perfect cheeks and slide deep inside her body.

With slightly shaking fingers, he undid his own fly and shoved his pants and underwear down, letting his member spring free to bounce against his stomach. He didn't even bother kicking his clothing off all the way, but let the material bunch around his knees as his hand gave his throbbing member a few hard strokes before guiding it to Yuna's slit.

"You'll feel it, Yuna."

Yuna was only just starting to come to before she felt something stiff and hot at her entrance. Propping herself up on wobbly hands, she looked over her shoulder to find Ataru kneeling behind her, his swollen member in his hand as he guided it to her opening. His expression was one of pure lust and she was frightened by the intensity of it, how his eyes looked at her, how he smiled cruelly.

"No, don't do this," she panted breathlessly, trying to crawl away but he easily grabbed her by the hips and dragged her back with an animalistic growl. His nails left fresh scratches but she hardly felt them through the fear and adrenaline.

Ataru was going to rape her. Oh fuck…

"I'll make you feel it…"

"STOP!"

Lost in the tidal wave of emotion, neither of them noticed Ryōgi burst through the door, leg raised high. He swung hard, sending Ataru crashing to the floor and Yuna forward in shock.

Yuna turned, unable to believe who was behind her. He was here.

As Ataru struggled to his feet, Ryōgi tackled him to the floor, where he straddled him and began punching Ataru's face in a left-right combo.

"R-Ryōgi-kun..." she stammered.

"Run, Yuna!" Ryōgi yelled over his shoulder.

She blinked at him, and she was suddenly unable to move. She didn't want to leave him-leave him with Ataru.

"What the hell are you doing? Get out of here!" he shouted, struggling to hold down the furious Katayama.

Yuna did as she was told and quickly pulled up her panties and shorts and bolted for the door, ignoring Ataru's angry calls for her to come back.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Yuna ran as fast as she could out of that apartment. Away from him, away from everything. She jumped over the wall that surrounded the village and darted through the forest. She kept running until her body finally gave way.

Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision and making bounding through the trees increasingly difficult until she lost her footing on a slippery branch and she toppled forward towards the forest floor below.

She struggled to her hands and knees, her forehead dragged along the cool earth as her hands fisted in the ground, uprooting handfuls of moss.

Her breathing finally slowed and the adrenaline began to wear off and she was suddenly conscious of the searing pain covering her body. Hesitantly, she let her eyes drift down to evaluate her legs, she noticed bruising on her hips and thighs.

The image was both revolting and overwhelming, increasing the impact tenfold of what had just happened.

Having no more strength to hold back, her whole body wracked with sobs as she cried hysterically, the pain not physical this time but mental and emotional and she knew such scars were not so easy to heal.

She wasn't sure what time it was, nor aware of how long she had been staring blankly at the sky.

After some time, the silence, thick and heavy, became oppressive, and she felt as if it was suffocating her. Her hand shifted, coming in contact with a sharp rock and an idea occurred to her.

Tama.

Sitting up, Yuna made a small cut on her index finger with the rock and summoned the caracal. She appeared beside her in a little puff of smoke, and looking into her warm eyes, made her cry all over again. Yuna didn't care. She welcomed the tears, putting her face in her hands and sobbing softly as the sheer hopelessness of the situation overwhelmed her.

"What's wrong," she asked as she jumped into her lap and began to push her hands away from her face by nudging them with her head. "Tell me what happened?"

"Tama!" Yuna leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the caracal, hugging her tightly.

"Yuna, you're scaring me," Tama said softly. "What's wrong? You know you can tell me anything."

Yuna tried to formulate words, but she couldn't pull it together.

The caracal pulled away, her face etched with concern. "You stay here, Yuna. I'll go get your parents and bring them here."

She opened her mouth to speak, but Tama had already gone.

**~MINE TO TAKE~**

Despite all of Masaru's training and experience, even he was having a hard time keeping up with the caracal as they bounded through the trees. The sight that greeted him made his eyes grow wide in horror. There sat Yuna, her face was streaked with tears. What was the most disturbing however was her eyes, her vacant, unseeing eyes. She was alive and breathing but her eyes seemed glazed, dull, lacking the spark of life that was usually in their teal depths.

"Yuna!" he cried, running to her side, stripping off his jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders. "What happened?"

The kunoichi flinched at his touch, her body tense like she was going to run but she remained still. Slowly, her eyes moved to meet his face as he crouched beside her.

"Daddy?" she whispered brokenly.

"Sweetheart, talk to me. What happened?"

"Daddy," she said softly. "Boruto's mission was to retrieve the diamond. Ataru came home last night and…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. Instead she bared a pale arm from under the jacket and took his hand. She dropped the diamond in his palm, and closed his hand around it, her hands wrapping around his fist gently.

Masaru's eyes widened as he put the pieces of the puzzle together. Did that mean that Ataru had…?

"I went to confront him about it," Yuna whispered, her voice trembling as she fought to stay calm. "That's when he…"

"What happened?" he asked, his voice hardly louder than a murmur.

"Daddy, he…Ataru forced himself on me."

 **A/N:** Reviews. Pretty please?


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